Sonia Balassanian
Sonia Balassanian (b. 1942, Armenian-Iranian-American), born in Arak, Iran, to a family of Armenian heritage, developed her artistic language through poetic verse, architectural form and the cultural movements of 1970s New York. She emerged as a key figure in the Lyrical Abstraction movement, and also became recognised for her painted photo-collage sculpture and video works. She represented Armenia at the Venice Biennale on various occasions, including participation in the Golden Lion award-winning Armenian Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale. Balassanian has also held solo exhibitions at SculptureCenter, New York, and participated in several exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. She lives and works in Tribeca, New York.
EDUCATION
1978 M.F.A., Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
1971–72 Independent Study Program, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
1970 B.F.A., Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
AWARDS
1971 Drake Press Prize, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
1970 J. Henry Scheidt European Prize, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
1970 Quaker Prize for Meritorious Achievement
1970 Thouron Prize for Outstanding Composition
SELECTED ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2007 “Who Is The Victim”, 52nd Art Biennale of Venice, Venice, Italy — Armenian Pavilion
2004 “Drawings by Sonia Balassanian”, Armenian Center for Contemporary Art, Yerevan, Armenia
1993 “Shadows of My Sisters”, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1992 “The Other Side”, The Sculpture Center, New York, New York
1989 “Brooding”, Exit Art, New York, New York
1982 “Black, Black Days”, Franklin Furnace Gallery, New York, New York
1980 “Hostages: A Diary”, Elise Meyer Gallery, New York, New York
1978 Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
1976 Saman Gallery, Tehran, Iran
1975 Zarvan Gallery, Tehran, Iran
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2014 “UPDATE/POST MEMORY: International Video Art With Eastern Perspective”, Motorenhalle, Dresden, Germany. Curator: SusanneAltmann
2014 “Neighbours: Contemporary Narratives from Turkey and Beyond”, Istanbul Modern, Istanbul, Turkey. Curators: Çelenk Bafra, PaoloColombo
2008 “East West Dialogues, Mysticism, Satire and the Legendary Past”; “The Gates of Mediterranean”, Palazzo Piozzo–Casa del Conte Verde, Rivoli, Italy. Curated by Martina Corgnati
2007 “Yerevan Crisis”, Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (ACCEA), Yerevan, Armenia
2006 “Face a Face–Armenie”, group exhibition of photography of Armenian photographers, curated by Edward Balassanian
2006 “The Contemporary Persian Scene: The American and European Experience”, Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery, New York
2006 “Don’t Be Scared”, political art by Armenian artists, curated by David Kareyan, ACCEA, Yerevan
2006 “Art Without Borders”, ACCEA, Yerevan
2006 “Social Games”, ACCEA, Yerevan
2005 “Photo+”, ACCEA, Yerevan
2005 “Woman Dialogue”, ACCEA, Yerevan
2001 “4 Artists of the Armenian Diaspora”, Museum de Lakenhal, Holland
2000 “Continental Shift”, Stadsgalerij Heerlen, Holland; Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany. Curator: David Galloway
2000 “The End: An Independent Vision of Contemporary Culture”, Exit Art, New York
1999 “Nabel SCHAU”, Artotel, Dresden, Germany
1998 “Remembering Times Past”, Apex Art Gallery, New York — Apex Art Curatorial Program
1997 XLVII Art Biennale of Venice, “The Armenian Pavilion”, Venice, Italy — one of five Armenian artists from Armenia and the Diaspora,
representing Armenia
1995 CARGO International Center of Visual Arts, Marseille, France; “International Biennale of Group Art”, Bochum Museum, Bochum,
Germany — “Armenia: The Rediscovery of a Land of Ancient Culture”, an exhibition of Armenian art from prehistoric times to the present
1993 The Museum of Modern Art, New York — “Readymade Identities”; works of six artists at the Project Room
1991 Franklin Furnace Gallery, New York — “Burning In Hell”, artists’ book projects invited by Nancy Spero
1990 Ceres Gallery, New York — “Memory/Reality”, presented by NYFAI
1989 Fine Arts Museum of Long Island, Hempstead, New York — “On the Cutting Edge: 10 Curators Choose 30 Artists”
1988 The Museum of Modern Art, New York — “Committed to Print”
1986 Exit Art, New York — “Transculture/Transmedia”
1985–86 “The American Experience: Contemporary Immigrant Artists”, Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach; Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies,
Philadelphia; Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria. Sponsored by Statue of Liberty Committee; organized by Balch
Institute for Ethnic Studies and Independent Curators Incorporated
1985 Merilyn Pink Gallery, Los Angeles
1984 Pyramid Arts Center, Rochester, New York — “Introspectives”; “Calligrafitti”, Leila Taghinia-Milani Gallery, New York
1983 Newcastle Polytechnic Gallery, Newcastle, U.K. — “New Work – New York: Newcastle Salutes New York”; Institute for Art and
Urban Resources, P.S.1, Queens, New York — “Seven Women/Image Impact”; “Ornaments as Sculpture”, Sculpture Center, NewYork
1982 Alternative Museum, New York — “Visual Politics”; Louis Abrons Arts for Living Center, New York — “Beyond Aesthetics: Art of
Necessity by Artists of Conscience”; Just Above Midtown/Downtown Gallery, New York — “Decision by Arms?”
1981 Freeman Gallery, Albright College, Reading, Pennsylvania — “Messages: Words and Images”
1980 Artspace, Middlesex, New Jersey — “Artists and Contemporary Issues”; Joseloff Gallery, University of Hartford, Hartford,
Connecticut — “Rendering of the Modern Woman”
1977 Washington Art ’77 Exhibition, Washington, D.C.; Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts, Tehran, Iran
1976 Basel International Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland; “Woman and Art”, International Art Center, Tehran; “Eighty Years of Modern Art in
Iran”, Iran–American Cultural Center, Tehran
PERFORMING ARTS / MIXED MEDIA PERFORMANCES
2006 “Who Is The Victim”, six-screen video installation/performance, ACCEA, Yerevan
2005 “There Might Have Been an Insane Heart…”, multimedia installation, ACCEA, Yerevan
2002 “Brooding”, multimedia installation, ACCEA, Yerevan
2001 “Shadow of Dust”, multimedia installation, ACCEA, Yerevan
2000 “Collapse of Illusions”, multimedia installation, ACCEA, Yerevan
SET DESIGN
1992 Set design for “Law of Remains”, performance created and designed by Reza Abdo, presented by Dar A Luz, New York
1991 Set design for “The True Story of a Woman Born in Iran and Raised to Haven in Manhattan”, written and directed by Assurbanipal Babilla; co-produced by Purgatorio Ink and One Dream, New York 1989 Set design for “Eyeless Tears in a Universe of Ether”, conceived, choreographed and directed by Linda Rappaport, Dia ArtFoundation, New York
ARTIST’S PUBLISHED WORKS
2006 “Two Books” — republication of two books of poems by Sonia Balassanian (1982, 1991) in one combined volume, Yerevan,
Armenia; “Portraits”, second edition, Yerevan
1991 “To Present Dreams of Emotions To The Noisy Rain”, selected poems in Armenian, New York
1983 “Portraits”, New York
1982 “There Might Have Been An Insane Heart”, selected poems in Armenian, New York
SELECTED CATALOGUES
2007 Nina Moentmann, “Who Is The Victim?”, VII Art Biennale of Venice, Venice, Italy
1997 Thomas McEvilley, “The Armenian Pavilion”, XLVII Art Biennale of Venice, Venice, Italy
1993 Fereshteh Daftari, “Readymade Identities”, New York: Museum of Modern Art
1993 Susan Lubowsky and Jeff Fleming, “Sonia Balassanian: Shadow of My Sisters”, Winston-Salem: Southeastern Center for
Contemporary Art
1992 Geoffery Young, “Sonia Balassanian: The Other Side”, New York: The Sculpture Center
1989 Donald Kuspit, “Sonia Balassanian: The Art of Brooding”, New York: Exit Art
1988 Deborah Wye, “Committed to Print”, New York: The Museum of Modern Art
SONIA BALASSANIAN · 3
1980 Robert Hobbs, “Sonia Balassanian: Hostages, A Diary”, New York: Elise Meyer
SELECTED REVIEWS
2007 Shake Matossian, “52. Biennale of Venice”, Haratch (Paris) and Hay–Bulletin d’information du Comité des Arméniens de Belgique,
September 2007; Salar Abdoh, “Vanishing Point”, Guernica/A Magazine of Art & Politics, August 2007; Jackie Wullschlager, “Emin
and Femininity”, Financial Times, London, 9 June 2007; Sandy Zurikoglu Erdogan, “Who Is The Victim? at the Venice Biennale”,
Agos.com.tr, 8 June 2007; Nairi Sahakian, “The Armenian Presence at the 52. International Venice Biennale of Art”, 2007
1994 Mona Hadler and Joan Marter, “World War II: Reverberations”, Art Journal, Winter 1994
1992 Jude Schwendenwein, “Sonia Balassanian”, New Art Examiner, June/Summer 1992; Elizabeth Hess, “Dress To Kill”, The Village
Voice, 24 March 1992
1989 Eileen Myles, “Sonia Balassanian at Exit Art”, Art in America, Vol. 77, No. 9, September 1989
1983 Mina Roustai, “Sonia Balassanian”, Arts Magazine, February 1983
1981 Robert Hobbs, “Museum Under Siege”, Art in America, October 1981
1980 Carrie Rickey, “Sonia Balassanian’s ‘Hostages: A Diary’”, Artforum, October 1980; Mina Roustai, “Sonia Balassanian”, Arts
Magazine, September 1980; Kay Larson, “Reports from the Front”, The Village Voice, 2 July 1980; William Zimmer, “Sonia
Balassanian: Hostages, A Diary”, Soho News, 2 July 1980
1978 William Zimmer, “Drawing Words”, Soho News, 6–12 July 1978
CURATED EXHIBITIONS / CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2007 “Yerevan – Crises”, ACCEA, Yerevan
2006 “Art Without Borders”, ACCEA, Yerevan
2002 “Brooding…”, multimedia performance event marking the 10th anniversary of ACCEA, Yerevan
2001 “Shadows of Dust”, multimedia performance event at the park across the entrance of ACCEA, Yerevan; XLIX Art Biennale of Venice,
“The Armenian Pavilion” — Organizer
2000 “Collapse of Illusion”, multimedia performance event at public park, including four new video pieces by Sonia Balassanian, ACCEA,
Yerevan
1999 XLVIII Art Biennale of Venice, “The Armenian Pavilion” — Organizer
1997 XLVII Art Biennale of Venice, “The Armenian Pavilion” — Curator
1995 XLVI Art Biennale of Venice, “The Armenian Pavilion” — Commissioner and Curator
1992–Present Annual group exhibitions of painting, sculpture and installation by Armenian and international avant-garde artists, curated and
participated in by Sonia Balassanian, Yerevan, Armenia
PUBLIC & PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
2003 H.M. Farah Pahlavi, Queen of Iran
2001 Prof. Edward M. Bergman Collection
2000 Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art
1987 King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia
1986 Pippo and Carla Traversi Collection
1976 Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran, Iran
1976 Tomas Tomassian Collection
1970 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
