Glendale art gallery hosts 'Mine Free Karabakh' exhibition

“2020: Mine Free Karabakh,” an exhibition curated pro-bono by Ara Oshagan, is now open at the newly re-opened Tufenkian Fine Art gallery, Asbarez reports.

The exhibition weaves a multi-layered narrative on the vision of a landmine free Nagorno Karabakh in three integrated parts: poignant images by photojournalist Scout Tufankjian; images by Karabakhi youth from the TUMO center in Stepanakert, which was opened in cooperation with AGBU, who are affected by mines in their everyday lives; and exclusive archive material of Princess Diana and the launch of the campaign to rid the world of mines 20 years ago.

The exhibition is open Monday, October 23 to Friday, October 27 from 11am to 5pm and Saturday, October 28 from 11am to 4pm at Tufenkian Fine Arts, 216 S. Louise St, Glendale, CA 91205.

The exhibit launched with a reception on Saturday, October 21st where Congressman Adam Schiff was honored for his commitment towards a Mine Free Karabakh. The reception was by invitation only and the program began with performances by Artyom Manukyan and Alene Aroustamian and guests were addressed by curator Ara Oshagan and photojournalist Scout Tufankjian. The evening raised $12,500 for The HALO Trust’s ‘Safe Steps for the people of Karabakh’ campaign with the aim of a landmine-free Karabakh by 2020.

Andrew Moore HALO’s Director of Development said: “HALO is incredibly grateful to Ara Oshagan, Caroline and Greg Tufenkian, Scout Tufankjian and many others in the community, who made the 20/20: Mine Free Karabakh exhibition possible. It is an impactful way to spread awareness and, ultimately, it help us achieve our vision of safer, more prosperous, landmine-free Karabakh. We are very close to ensuring that Armenian families in Karabakh will no longer have to fear while their children play and animals graze. Our hope is that visitors to the exhibition will be inspired to give and every gift donated to the campaign is matched by an anonymous family foundation. Our sincere thanks go to everyone who donated on the opening night and to all who are inspired by the exhibition to donate.”

Creative services for the event were kindly donated by Alma Aroustamian at Alma Design Studio.

Founded in 1988, The HALO Trust is the world’s largest humanitarian mine clearance organization. As a non-profit, we are committed to saving lives and restoring communities threatened by landmines and other weapons of war, such as cluster bombs, stockpiles of small arms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Learn more or donate to the ‘Safe Steps for the people of Karabakh’ campaign.

Ara Oshagan is a photographer, installation artist, author and curator whose work revolves around the intersecting themes of identity, community and social justice. He has published two books and his work resides in several public and private collections. Currently, he is a curator at ReflectSpace gallery at the Downtown Central Library in Glendale, CA.

Tufenkian Fine Arts, a gallery located in Glendale, California, is dedicated to the advancement of modern and contemporary artists.