Haig Aivazian

Haig Aivazian (b. 1980, Beirut, Lebanon) is an artist, curator and writer. Using performance, video, drawing, installation and sculpture, his work weaves together personal and geo-political, micro and macro narratives in its search for ideological loopholes and short circuits. Aivazian holds an MFA from Northwestern University and is a Skowhegan alumni (2011). His work has been exhibited in France, Germany, Poland, Austria, Turkey, Lebanon, the U.A.E, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S.A. Refugee Olympics, part of the FUGERE project, was commissioned for Sharjah Biennial 9 (2009) Other parts of FUGERE were exhibited in a solo show in Sfeir-Semler gallery’s Hamburg space (2013). Collapsing Foundations, an installation and video performance work, was showcased in a solo exhibition at Parisian Laundry’s bunker space, Montréal (2012). Aivazian’s video works have been included in several exhibitions and festivals including at the 14th Istanbul Biennial 2015, curated by Carolyn Christov-Barkagiev, The 56th Venice Biennial 2015, The Museum of Modern Art Warsaw (2015), The Moving Museum (2014), videobrasil’s Southern Panoramas (2013), FIDMarseille (2012), and Mercer Union, Toronto (2011). Among his curated exhibitions are: Roads Were Open/Roads Were Closed at The Third Line, Dubai (2008); and Plot for a Biennial, Sharjah Biennial 10 (2011), of which he was Associate Curator. Aivazian has written for a number of publications including Afterall Journal, Manifesta Journal, FUSE, Adbusters, Ibraaz, Bidoun, AMCA (Association for Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World, Iran, and Turkey), The Arab Studies Journal as well as several exhibition catalogues. He is currently based in Beirut.