Hrag Vartanian

Hrag Vartanian
Birthplace	Syria
Dialects	Western Armenian

HRAG VARTANIAN was born in Aleppo, Syria, raised in Toronto, Canada, and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is a writer, critic and designer who regularly contributes to The Brooklyn Rail, AGBU Magazine, Ararat Quarterly, Boldtype and other publications. He is currently Director of Communications at AGBU, the world's largest Armenian non-profit organization. He blogs at http://www.hragvartanian.com

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

• "An Imaginary Armenian Canadian Homeland: Gariné Torossian’s Dialogue with Egoyan" from Image and Territory: Essays on Atom Egoyan edited by Monique Tschofen and Jennifer Burwell (Waterloo, ON: Wildred Laurier University Press, 2006).
• "Andrew Demirjian: Indulge and Deny," The Brooklyn Rail (September 2005).[[1]]
• "Schwierige Wahrheiten: Die Schriftstellerin Nancy Kricorian (The Will to Resist: A Portrait of Nancy Kricorian)," in Porträt einer Hoffnung Die Armenier edited by Huberta von Voss (Verlag Hans Schiller, 2004). English edition forthcoming.
• "New York Life Recognizes Genocide Era Insurance Claims," AGBU Magazine (April 2004).[[2]]
• "Nazi Style Wars," The Brooklyn Rail (October 2003).[[3]]
• "Curating on the Margins," The Brooklyn Rail (Winter 2003).[[4]]
• "Who's Afraid of Atom Egoyan," The Brooklyn Rail (Autumn 2002).[[5]]
• "Artist Biographies," The Clement Greenberg Collection (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, 2001).
• FutureHype/Kitabet, edited by Carman Donabedian & Hrag Vartanian (Beirut: Haigazian University, 1998).
• "Chine Drive: An Arts & Crafts Community," in The Stuff Dreams are Made of: The Art and Design of Frederick and Louise Coates (Toronto: University of Toronto, 1997).

Times Square Art Square

New York, NY | Published on: October 16, 2012

Times Square Art Square (TSAS) today announced the appointment of world-renowned curator, editor and critic, Hrag Vartanian, as Chief Curator for the 2013 debut of its landmark “Art Square” public art exhibition in Times Square. Vartanian will select artists and works to display on Times Square’s iconic billboards and will advise TSAS in developing exhibition priorities for the organization’s artistic program going forward.

“With an incredible understanding of contemporary art and art history, combined with his commitment to cultural development and collaboration, Hrag exemplifies the program values and philosophy of Art Square,” says TSAS's Angela Moschetta. “He is an articulate and thoughtful critic, possessing a clear viewpoint that maintains the highest integrity while oft demonstrating a healthy and fresh sense of irreverence. In the cacophonous and somewhat chaotic space that is Times Square, Hrag is uniquely capable of making a cohesive and transformative artistic statement.”

2013 will mark the debut of Art Square. a large scale public art exhibition in which billboard advertising in Times Square is replaced with dedicated art installations. Organizers intend to grow the size and scope of the exhibition over time such that it repeats on an annual basis in a full, month-long format and also includes ground level installations, pop-up galleries, performance art and more.

“Today marks a very important milestone in the lead up to Art Square,” says TSAS Founder Justus Bruns. “To bring Hrag Vartanian’s knowledge of the curation of media, art, visual communications into the Times Square Art Square mix at this stage affirms the credibility and viability of the project while underscoring our unwavering commitment to artistic integrity. Hrag is always engaged in debates about the nature of public and private space and nowhere is that debate more poignant than in Times Square.”

Hrag Vartanian is a Syrian-born, Canadian-raised, resident of Brooklyn, New York. He is co-founder and editor-in-chief of the popular and progressive Hyperallergic art blogazine, which was the winner of Best Art Blog at the 2011 Art & Reality Conference in St. Petersburg, Russia.

For more information on Times Square Art Square, visit www.artsquare.co.

“With an incredible understanding of contemporary art and art history, combined with his commitment to cultural development and collaboration, Hrag exemplifies the program values and philosophy of Art Square. He is an articulate and thoughtful critic, possessing a clear viewpoint that maintains the highest integrity while oft demonstrating a healthy and fresh sense of irreverence. In the cacophonous and somewhat chaotic space that is Times Square, Hrag is uniquely capable of making a cohesive and transformative artistic statement.” — Angela Moschetta

“Today marks a very important milestone in the lead up to Art Square. To bring Hrag Vartanian’s knowledge of the curation of media, art, visual communications into the Times Square Art Square mix at this stage affirms the credibility and viability of the project while underscoring our unwavering commitment to artistic integrity. Hrag is always engaged in debates about the nature of public and private space and nowhere is that debate more poignant than in Times Square.” — Justus Bruns