Two Foundational Texts on Hamasteghtsakan Art Translated and Introduced by Angela Harutyunyan

Angela Harutyunyan has translated and presented two articles, 'What is Hamasteghtsakan Art,' which were originally published in Armenia in 1994 and 1996. Written by artist Arman Grigoryan and art critic Nazareth Karoyan, these pieces provide contrasting viewpoints on hamasteghtsakan, meaning collectively created art. This concept arose as a term for various post-medium artistic practices in late Soviet and post-Soviet Armenia, challenging both Socialist Realism and Armenian National modernism. Harutyunyan’s introduction contextualizes these works within the artistic institutional changes of the late 1980s and 1994 in Armenia. The translated articles, now accessible for free via MIT Press, are pivotal to the evolution of contemporary art in Armenia and were published online on ARTMargins on October 15, 2019.