Mikayel Ohanjanyan. Legami: Ties that Bind
Curators: Christopher Atamian and Tamar Hovsepian
Carrara, mudaC | museo delle arti di Carrara
February 13 – August 30, 2026

Through five marble sculptures conceived as a monumental installation, the exhibition focuses on the key elements of the artist’s most recent research: ties as connection, historical memory, and resilience. These works address themes of identity, time, and human relationships.

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Carrara—the historic marble city that has shaped sculpture from Roman antiquity through the Renaissance and into contemporary practice—provides a resonant setting for the exhibition, hosted by the city’s innovative museum whose permanent collection includes works by leading artists such as Jannis Kounellis, Lynn Russell Chadwick, and David Tremlett. Home to the artist’s new studio and a sister city to Yerevan, Carrara powerfully embodies the exhibition’s central theme of collective connection through art.

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The curators note: “Trained in Armenia and artistically matured in Italy, Ohanjanyan’s language is both deeply rooted and universal. We are honored to present his work in a city and an institution of such significant historical value.”

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For Ohanjanyan, ties—bonds that connect individuals to one another and to broader existential, spiritual, and universal forces—form a foundational conceptual framework. Each of the five sculptures, carved from white statuary marble, consists of two amorphous forms bound together by stainless-steel cables that cut deeply into the stone and traverse its surface. Ranging from monumental works (up to 121 × 210 × 90 cm) to more intimate pieces (53 × 68 × 40 cm), the sculptures embody physical tension while evoking unity and mutual dependence. Though the forms remain incomplete and inherently incompatible, their binding suggests a utopian yet necessary gesture: an attempt to recover a fragmented collective memory in order to engage with the present and imagine the future. Through this interplay of material, form, and meaning, Ohanjanyan raises fundamental questions about what binds us—to one another, to history, and to the world at large. Visually restrained yet conceptually resonant, the works propose a quiet reconciliation between opposing forces, offering a poetic reflection on the human condition and the invisible structures that hold it together.

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Accompanying the exhibition is a catalogue, to be published during the exhibition period, featuring an institutional introduction by Gea Dazzi (Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Carrara) and critical texts by Christopher Atamian, Cinzia Compalati, and Tamar Hovsepian.

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The exhibition is promoted by the Municipality of Carrara and produced by mudaC | museo delle arti Carrara, with support for the artist from Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and Patrick Bahadourian. Technical sponsorship is provided by Kooling Foundation and Tenax SpA.

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Mikayel Ohanjanyan - biography​

 

Born in 1976 in Yerevan (Armenia), Mikayel Ohanjanyan lives and works between Florence and Carrara. He received his training at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Yerevan and the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence.

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Ohanjanyan has taken part in numerous major international events: in 2015 he exhibited in the Armenian National Pavilion at the 56th Venice Art Biennale, which won the prestigious Golden Lion award. In 2016, he presented two large site-specific installations for the project “La Statale Arte” at the University of Milan (La Statale). In addition, his project “Diary” was selected for Frieze Sculpture Park and exhibited in Regent’s Park, London; the work is now part of the permanent collection of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. In 2017, he participated in the first edition of STANDART, the Armenian Contemporary Art Triennial, and in the same year some of his works were shown at FIAC – On Site, outdoors in front of the Petit Palais in Paris. In 2018, he won the E. Marinelli International Contemporary Art Prize for the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Florence, where his work is now part of the permanent collection. In 2021, Mikayel Ohanjanyan won the competition promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) / Vatican for the creation of liturgical artworks for the Church of Don Giovanni Bosco in Bagheria, Sicily. Among other awards, he has received the Targetti Light Art Award (2009) and the Henraux Prize (2014).

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Exhibition sheet

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Artist/Title: Mikayel Ohanjanyan. Legami: Ties that Bind

Curators: Christopher Atamian and Tamar Hovsepian

Venue: mudaC | museo delle arti Carrara, Via Canal del Rio 1, Carrara

Dates:  February 13 – August 30, 2026

Opening: February 13, 2026 at 6:00 pm

Museum Hours: Until May 31: Tuesday to Sunday 9:30 am–12:30 pm / 3:00–6:00 pm. Closed on Mondays.

From June 1 to August 30: Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday 5:00–8:00 pm; Wednesday and Thursday 9:30 am–12:00 pm; Friday 6:00–10:00 pm. Closed on the evening of August 14, 6:00–10:00 pm.

Admission: €5 full, €3 reduced; free on the first Sunday of each month.

Info: https://mudac.museodellearticarrara.it 

Catalogue: With an institutional introduction by Gea Dazzi and critical texts by Christopher Atamian, Cinzia Compalati, and Tamar Hovsepian.

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