Ara Haytayan, a representative of the modern cultural life of Armenia is a painter who shared his thoughts on the general state of culture in Armenia and his recent participation in Beijing fifth international biennale.
As one of the things lacking today in Armenia culture Haytayan refered to the good image of the contemporary artists in Armenia however mentioned the lack of a concrete institute that would deal with the contemporary arts’ preservation, expansion and archiving. To the question what do the cultural events annually organized by the Ministry of Culture give to the society Haytayan mentioned that there is a huge gap between what the state has to do and what it actually does. Painting being one of the leading and most developed art branches in Armenia is not treated the way it should be. Although some cultural events take place still they are not enough to keep the culture alive in the country.
Haytayan explains the power and confidence today’s artists lack with the factors mostly dealing with lack of possibilities to cooperate and to walk along the contemporary developments. Although Soviet times have passed and no boundaries already enchain modern artists, there is a lack of possibilities to make connections for cooperation. “You should be very adroit to manage self-realize outside, attract buyers so as to survive here”, he adds.
