NEW YORK, NY - Although the artist Nune Asatrian became a resident of New York only this year, her works have already been displayed at the Etervana Gallery and at St. Stepanos Church, both in New Jersey. More recently, on October 29, she had an exhibit at the Center of the Iranian-Armenian Society in Little Neck, NY.

On January 6, works of Nune Asatrian will go on exhibit at St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, NY. In the months of March and April, they will be exhibited at the Monigeu Doldstom and Kozma & Company galleries, as well as in San Francisco.

Nune Asatrian was born in Yerevan into a family of artists. Her father, Henri Asatrian, is a well-known sculptor, and her sister, Naira, is a painter and fashion designer. Her mother, Julieta, although a specialist in the Russian language by profession, is the severest critic and "art reviewer" in the family.

After graduating from the Admiral Isakov Middle School in Yerevan, Nune continued her education at the Kodjoyan Art School. From 1986 to 1991, she studied in the fine arts division of the decorative applied art department of the Institute of Fine Arts and Theater, and did sculpting at the same time.

In 1991, Nune participated in an all-Union symposium for young artists held in Yeghvard. Using ceramic material, she created a sculpture which depicted a segment of the Armenian mountainous region. She expertly used form, color, graphics, and rough material. "This was synthesized art," said Nune, "which cannot be separated. In effect, that's how I did my thesis project. It was called "The Unity of Opposites," utilizing more than one style. Likewise, that was a synthesis of clothing, textile, and two large pieces of sculpture, which revolved around each other. Black and white colors were used. It was a combination of plastic and motion, with a background of colored textiles, on a smooth colored surface."

Indeed, when you look at Nune Asatrian's artistic works, you feel their uniqueness; the melodic feelings of the artist's soul are expressed in them. There is movement in all her works. It seems that the images on the canvasses are slowly flowing; the transitions in colors are likewise done through motion. Symbolism is present. The compositions, done with delicate taste, force the viewer to scrutinize and absorb everything. Such are the oil paintings "Thoughts about Chaos while in its Midst," "Prayer," "Ancient Myth," "Vision," "Sarcophagus of Infinity" from the "Reflection" series; the series "City - Still Life,:" and "Night" (paper, unique technique), etc.

The works of Nune Asatrian have been exhibited in Armenia, Canada, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Moscow, Vilnius, Prague, and Boston, as well as at the cultural society for artists "Megenas." She has had individual exhibits at the National Gallery of Armenia and at the Artists' Center in Moscow. This talented young artist is a member of the Artists' Union of Armenia and also the UNESCO International Federation of Artists.

The well-known art critic Nazeni Gharipian has the following to say about Nune: "There is no completed work or finished story for this artist. There is also no static grasp of image. And, just as the world exists only in a state of perpetual motion, whose absolute harmony is confirmed only by the unity of contradictions, not by the law of struggle, the life of visual art, for Nune, is contained in the collectivity of works infected by that harmonious motion."

Robert Karapetian is also a correspondent in New York for Armenpress.