Exhibition dedicated to genocide to open in Glendale

PanARMENIAN.Net - Genocide is not a thing of the past and a new art exhibit at the Brand Library in Glendale (California, US) aims to show visitors the savage quality of mass killings that persist around the globe, organizers said.



The exhibit, more than 70 works by 44 artists, held its opening reception Saturday to a packed house of visitors who were frequently taken back by the imagery and symbolism of the pieces, Glendale News Press reports.



Some works incorporated startling images of genocide, others were more abstract, incorporating themes of struggle, suffering or disregard for the value of human life, artists said.



The show, organized by the Arts and Culture Commission and called "Man's Inhumanity to Man," is meant to use art to illustrate to visitors that genocide is real and has harsh effects, even if it seems to occur in distant parts of the world, curator Ramela Abbamontian said.



While art related to the Armenian Genocide is prominent in the exhibit, works from artists of various backgrounds were on display and all of them were commentaries on the atrocious impacts of systematic killings, like those currently occurring in Darfur, Sudan, artists said.



"This is not only about genocide, it's about atrocity," said Ripsime Marashian, the city's cultural affairs coordinator.



A black-and-white photograph of an old man placed above a handwritten narrative that detailed a childhood experience during the Armenian Genocide, resonated with at least two visitors.



The account of young boys being stabbed by Turkish soldiers was startling, said West Los Angeles residents Eileen Joyce and Jeff Braucher.



The exhibit will be open daily until May 8 and the commission will host two special events for gallery visitors, an evening of music and poetry April 15 and a set of discussions with the artists and curator April 18.