ARTIST ALEXANDRA MANUKYAN’S SURREALIST PAINTINGS PUT WOMEN IN CONTROL
By Natalie Avakian
Pasadena Weekly
March 22 2012
CA
While honing her skills in art school at age 11, Alexandra Manukyan
had no idea she would eventually open her own studio, teach art,
freelance for the fashion industry, participate in a group show for
famous tattoo artist Kat Von D’s Wonderland Gallery, have a solo show
at Last Rites Gallery in New York and paint full time.
In her edgy, deeply psychological paintings – which have appeared in
solo and group exhibitions in America and abroad – Manukyan explores
the idea that our interpersonal interactions disguise a deeper,
subconscious play of our carnal desires. Manukyan combines traditional
oil painting with surrealism and, through images of powerful females
set against these backdrops, communicates the impact of technology,
not just on individuals, but specifically women.
The subtle yet powerful symbols illustrated by images of gas masks,
armor and powerful body positions convey the artist’s themes and sets
a magical, yet eerie tone.
Manukyan was born and raised in Armenia and graduated from Terlemezian
Fine Arts College in Armenia in 1982. In 1990, she graduated from the
State Pedagogical University, where she majored in teaching fine arts.
That same year, Manukyan immigrated to the US with her husband and
son. She soon realized it was going to be very hard for an artist to
earn a living, and so decided to attend Fashion Design School at LA
Trade Tech.
After working for many years as a fashion designer, Manukyan took
courses at UCLA, UCLA Extension and additional private classes in
graphic design. She eventually became proficient in graphic design and
started freelancing for different entertainment agencies, designing
movie posters. Today, she freelances for the fashion industry, paints
full time and teaches at her own art studio in Glendale.
Currently, Manukyan is represented by Silvana Gallery in Glendale and
the La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angles. She has an upcoming group
show on Friday at Kat Von D’s Wonderland Gallery, which includes an
opening reception from 7 to 9 p.m., and later this year, her paintings
will be shown in a solo exhibition at Last Rites Gallery in New York.
Manukyan claims that thinking through and preparing for the
compositions in her paintings is an elaborate process, one that
sometimes takes months before she even begins to paint. Manukyan
sketches out her ideas in order to have a solid understanding of the
images she wants to depict, as well as which models she is going to
hire. Most of the time, her models will inspire the entire series as
it forms in her mind. The models will act as a muse for Manukyan’s
imagination as she creates a storyline for the next series of her
work. Her process involves choosing models who inspire a story. “Like a
writer, a narrative comes to me and I must paint that story,” she says.
Manukyan says she understands the reality of the times she was born
into and the fact that she had to work to move forward in her career
as an artist and as a person. But at the same time, she was trying
to balance her career in motherhood, which she admits was really hard
to do.
Although Manukyan admits she was tired at times, she never felt
defeated, because she knew she had a purpose – to provide for her
family. Even when these struggles were at times a strain on her
marriage, Manukyan says she and her husband overcame, making their
relationship even stronger.
“Samvel, my husband, is an amazing person, my supporter, my friend,
and we have been married and in love for 30 years. He’s the kind of
man I would wish any woman could be lucky enough to have. It’s not
just the love. I knew when I married this person, that I wanted to
have kids who would have qualities just like him.”
Even though it was hard to make it all work and maintain a career,
Manukyan feels fulfilled and accomplished by what she has done in her
life. And as amazing as the women she depicts seem to be, Manukyan
makes one thing clear: she is not the women she paints.
“I depict somebody else’s life. Perhaps it is a life I was trying to
stay away from, maybe a life I understood or agreed with, or maybe
I didn’t. But regardless, it is what I see around myself,” she says.
“It is what I see in life or in relationships of my friends or close
people around me. I don’t judge, but I realize that the way these
interactions unfolded was in a way that maybe (they) shouldn’t have.”
The heroines in her art convey the impact of the technological
revolution on women’s psyches and personal lives. According to
Manukyan, the fast-paced environment of today has made women react
so unnaturally to things that happen on a psychological level. As
a result, women are becoming less emotionally attached in their
relationships and their relationships have changed.
“As women, we want to be like a man but treated as a woman,” she says.
“We want to play around like men, but we don’t realize we get
pregnant, our bodies are invaded, our hearts hurt when we get in
these relationships, and men can just walk away. As a woman, my heart
hurts when I see confused women in our society. Don’t get me wrong;
I love freedom. I feel free when I am painting, but with everything,
freedom must be in balance.”
Manukyan also believes women must protect themselves, which is why
female figures are shown armored in her paintings. In the painting,
“Broken Music,” the women are protecting their heads, hearts and
psyches. But protection is not simply shielding oneself, explains
the artist.
“I want to make this clear. This is not all women and not in all cases,
but in my paintings, these wounded women have finally got the upper
hand, they are in control, they finally get it. They are in a state
of epiphany,” she says.
Manukyan believes some people, even in the Armenian community, do not
understand her paintings. Those individuals usually find her art to
be too harsh, too open and too exposed.
Feeling her messages were misunderstood, Manukyan found that her need
to control the ideas and depictions in her artwork became more and
more overwhelming. She finally realized that only in fine art could
she be absolutely free to express these ideas and still be in absolute
control of her creativity. She wants viewers to understand that she
intuitively feels these things and wants to convey the realities of
life, which can sometimes be disturbing.
“So I paint,” she says. “And in my paintings, these women are in a
situation of strength and control and feeling like in their lives
they are accomplished. Women in society don’t have to be a mother
or married, but whatever you are, be at peace and know yourself. And
whatever you want to accomplish, you just have to go for it.”
The Alexandra Manukyan Art Studio, located at 3523 N. Verdugo Road,
Glendale, teaches classes in fine art and the fundamentals of painting
as well as drawing in classical, academic and traditional styles. Call
her at (818) 636-6762 or visit alexandramanukyan.com. Kat Von D’s
Wonderland Gallery opening reception of “I Want to Be First” is from
7 to 9 p.m. Friday at 1257 N. La Brea Ave. West Hollywood. For more
information, visit wonderlandla.com.
From: A. Papazian
http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/power_unmasked/11101/