The city:
Yerevan, the capital of the Republic of Armenia, is one of the oldest cities in the world and offers a unique panorama of tradition and modernity, both in terms of urban planning and culture. Yerevan is a university city and, with around 1.2 million inhabitants, the cultural and artistic centre of the country. The city has much that is unseen, surprising and enriching to offer, especially in terms of its cultural-historical treasures and its pronounced love of art - which was also maintained under different conditions during the Soviet era - especially in the understanding of artistic practice and identity. Due to or also thanks to the restrictions under Soviet occupation, the Armenian art scene was always forced to seek its own ways and solutions to preserve a certain degree of Armenian independence in art. As in the other states of the South Caucasus, the Armenian art scene has been seething for a few years. While artistic training and art-historical studies today are still shaped by the offshoots of the Soviet educational system, a younger generation of artists is searching for a new understanding of art that is contemporary - and yet able to preserve its historical, geographical, discursive distinctiveness. Thus, practically the entire art scene sees itself in a political oppositional role to state institutions, but at the same time it does not simply want to import western forms of organisation and concepts of art as quickly as possible. Rather, it seeks to create new spaces for art and adequate forms of networking - also in exchange with foreign artists.

Studio/Apartment:

«Kotchar 13» is an artist settlement that was founded in Soviet times to provide artists from the Artists' Union with their own studio and flat. It is located two metro stops from the centre of Yerevan. It has always been an attractive place to work and to meet other artists. These studios with flats are still owned today by artists of all generations and art movements. The flats are modernised and equipped with a living room/bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, telephone, and internet connection and allow independent and undisturbed work. In collaboration with the artists, the public has access to the studios on special days so that guests can also establish extensive contact with the Yerevan public and gain an insight into the city's diverse art scene.

Requirements:
The stay in Yerevan requires a cultural openness and an interest in encountering a lively art scene that functions according to laws and criteria unfamiliar to us. The studio offers good conditions for independent research, inspiration, and artistic-intercultural exchange.

Adress:
House of Art, Kotchar Str.13, 0019 yerewan, Armenia
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/photoset/6963/

Partner organisation:
Stiftung KulturDialog Armenien, Mashtots Ave. 16, 0002 Yerewan, Armenia
www.kulturdialog.org info@kulturdialog.org

https://www.facebook.com/Cultures.in.Dialogue.Armenia?ref=hl

Local contact person: Sona Hovsepyan, Tel: +374 93 22 16 66
info@kulturdialog.org