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SINCE.
For
immediate release
Cedric
Koukjian, Geneva based multi-ethnic artist announced today that
his submission to a recent competition by the Cultural Commission of
the City of Cologny in the Geneva Canton of Switzerland had won a
competition to be accepted for public exhibition.
The
sculpture, called Liaison, was chosen from a shortlist of over thirty
international artists and will be featured as a public art exhibition
on the Cologny-Vandoeuvres roundabout from the 14th January 2020.
“Liaison
is a contemporary sculptural study that invites people to think about
the concept of bonds and relationships. Each of these chains was
carved from one rock, separated only at the end of the sculpting
process,” said Koukjian.
“As
humans, we start our relationships in the unknown – whether
friendship, family, or love – and work on that relationship, slowly
carving our bonds until they are as interlinked as the chain. The
chain itself also symbolizes the power of a bond of unity, strength,
and freedom. Though separate as individuals, united we are all
stronger and happier.”
Standing
at three meters, the Liaison sculpture is made of hand-hammered,
mirror polished stainless steel sculpted into three interconnected
chains. The design of the sculpture is constructed in a style
reminiscent of ancient Chinese jade sculptors, who created chains
from one slab of the precious stone. The idea for the sculpture has
its roots in an ancient fable from the Greek philosopher Aesop with
the lesson that “unity makes strength, strife wastes.” The fable,
A Bundle of Sticks, in which an old man instructed his sons to break
a bundle of sticks. When unable to do so due to the strength of the
bundle sticks, he untied the bundle, separating the sticks into
single pieces.
When
the man gave each son a stick and asked them to break it, the sons
snapped the sticks in half with ease. The wise old man then told his
sons, “Individually, you can easily be conquered. But together, you
are invincible.”
Koukjian’s
contemporary sculpture updates this classic fable for the 21st
century, showing how with the strength of steel and the flexibility
of the chain allows it to achieve greater force even under high
pressure. Once a chain is broken, however, it is weakened and cannot
perform its function – just as the breaking of bonds between humans
can lead to relationship breakups and even the fall of entire
empires.
“The
Cultural Commission of the City of Cologny had the pleasure to inform
Koukjian that his sculpture was selected above all applicants,”
said the Cultural Commission. “The sculpture will be on exhibition
at the Cologny-Vandoeuvres roundabout from the 14th of
January 2020.”
To
find out more about the Liaison sculpture and Koukjian’s other
work, please visit SINCE Studio or follow the artist’s Instagram.
For
all general and media inquiries about Liaison or to enquire about a
commission, please contact Cedric Koukjian by telephone at +41 (0) 79
790 53 03 or email info@sincefineart.com.
About
SINCE Studio
SINCE
Studio is a father-son fine arts studio comprised of Pierre and
Cedric Koukjian, based in Geneva, Switzerland. Both artists are known
for constantly pushing the boundaries to explore new shapes and
mediums. The studio’s focus is on postmodern industrial sculpture,
alongside creating bespoke furniture and lighting for the modern
environment. For more information, please visit the artist’s
website.
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