Arts Center "Kafeschyan" in Yerevan

[Кирилл Сызранский]

The Art of returning to the cave

Turned into a cultural center of Armenia in the world?

At the recent opening of the Center for the Arts "Kafeschyan" in Yerevan gathered no less than twenty thousand people. They filled the sculpture garden, terrace garden and galleries. Among other things, drew them here in the first exhibition of Armenian who lived in America, celebrated compatriot, artist-Expressionist Arshila Hills.

Center Kafeschyan "is a crazy example of architectural megalomania and is one of the most unusual and perhaps the most memorable new museums for the first time in a long time. Imagine a fantasy in the style of Art Deco on Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the design of which is used abundantly Armenian symbols.

Construction, built into a hill in downtown Yerevan, was designed in Soviet times, but then planned to crown his monument of the October Revolution.

History takes center in the 1930's, when the architect Alexander Tamanyan conceived his Cascade - made of white tuff giant step pyramid, consisting of artificial waterfalls and gardens. The project has been forgotten, and remembered about it again in the late 70's. However, construction was interrupted by the 1988 earthquake, and in 1991 broke up the Union.

The next chapter of history was marked by the appearance of the Cascade Gerard Kafeschyana - 84-year-old native of Brooklyn, the patron of the new center. The Armenian authorities have allowed him to build on over the Cascade new building and put it in his collection - on condition that he himself built and Cascade. The estimate was 20 million dollars, but the costs have already exceeded 40 million, pending the outcome still far away.

Construction of the building was delayed, the efforts have focused on the completion of the Cascade and the creation of a sculpture park. The rooms were designed for meeting rooms, steel tubes.

Center does not yet have their own means, has no professional managers, and can not be excluded that soon venture to fail.

Such was the fate of many ventures in this country torn apart by corruption the carotid, the unemployment rate which, over the long years of existence in isolation grew up to 40%, whose infrastructure has collapsed, and the middle class is virtually absent. So far, however, the Arts Center is doing what dream a select few museums and even a few similar to this ambitious project: helping to transform the country.

Former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian said that the country's budget is currently about one-third depends on donations from the Armenian diaspora. The effect of the global crisis has been devastating. Even Dennis Doyle, a member of the Board of Governors of the Fund Family Kafeschyan not know what the future holds for the new center. Its funding has promised to take Gerard Kafeschyan. Thus, everything depends on him, and the Government of Armenia to this is irrelevant.

Armenian newspapers in those days to discuss opening the border with Turkey. This achievement is largely owned by American, interested in oil pipeline bypassing Iran and Russia.

In response to the assignment of Turkey would like to once and for all put an end to talk on the topic of genocide, almost one hundred years ago claimed the lives of over a million Armenians. Recognition of the genocide would likely demand restitution.

Therefore, the recent American president no longer use the term "genocide", thus putting Armenia to decide between a much-needed revival of the national economy and restore justice to the biggest tragedy in its history.

Paralyzed for decades because of this event and in a hostile environment of Armenia until recently could not give its citizens the opportunity to get acquainted with contemporary foreign art in their homeland. The opening of "Kafeschyan" shows that thousands of young Armenians are ready for change and eager to overcome the wall separating them from the rest of the world.

Michael Kimmel'man
11/12/2009

http://www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2009...imes13/15.html