The Dual-Substance of Poetic Art of Eozen Agopian

In her new body of work, Eozen Agopian revives primordial forms, emotions and situations. She uses traditional painting media such as oil, acrylic, charcoal, texture
and thread, in order to depict her own version of visual reality. She creates surface reliefs by adding or substracting, thereby channelling the image through phases of disappearance and reappearance.Her artwork, though contemporary, is nevertheless marked with experiences from the past, fresh memories of the present, and
hope for the future. It continues to express the cultural heritages of her two homelands, thereby reflecting the sacred mission of art as an embodiment of life. It is
this impeccable sense of dualism, which makes her approach an imperative source of life for each and every one of her works of Art. In accordance with her dualism her intangible figures invite us to explore the mysterious and painful world of tragic existence in which happiness alternates with pain and reason with instinct.

Mediterranean nature plays an exceptional role balancing the double faceted ontology of human nature, an expression of which can be found in the coexistence of emotion and logic. The artist herself teaches people to experience the light, while at the same time Mediterranean cultural traditions are based on Logos and conscience that is the intellect. The light warmly embraces Eozen ‘s work, diffuses itself around its forms, inspires her soul’s protagonists with visions, while simultaneously, logic reflects the clarity of substance. Colors are borrowed from semi-precious stones, such as titanium red, amethyst violet, taconite grey, andradite green, jasper blue. Rooted in emotion and ecstasy, they instinctively impose themselves upon her compositions, and endow them with an intense symbolic character which marks the nature of our times. Along with its essential impact on vision, Eozen’s art manages to awaken the sense of hearing through its expressive power. It dictates a mental background of sound, recalling the rhythm of African drums and tambalas, a clear suggestion of the primordial order. A fervent supporter of the aesthetic revolution and the “gospels of beauty”that John Ruskin addressed in his writings, the artist’s beliefs are expressed by a past where people were motivated by real artistic ideals. Thus, for Eozen, art does not make life beautiful, it is life itself. This philosophy is an inspiration for her and it creates forms borrowed from the architecture of the ginna homes of the Dogon tribe, forms that
lead the visitor through a journey of metaphysical reflection, in which the silences of her passages offer new ways of seeing and new quests for meaning.

Not bound by any religious/cultural tradition or historic interpretation, Eozen experiences the particularities of different cultures of various origins and possesses the unique ability to bring them together. She is inspired by the melancholy and disorientation which result from the conflicts, contrasts and alienation of cultures and the codes originating from them. Is her work the result of an optimism for the bridging of gaps or is it a suggestion that combines both? Paul Gauguin, one of the forerunners of symbolism, explained that art is a concept with an abstract content, formed with the help of the functions of the subconscious, with special emphasis on the creative procedure and not on the final result. In this sense, the work of Eozen aims at the emotional activation of the visitor and his or her existential awakening. Based more upon emotion and instinct and less upon logic or any mental function, Eozen’s paintings offer a timely suggestion for self-exploration. And, through their directness, they lead us to a new definition of priorities. Poetry and painting are two forms of art, both dedicated to the rendering of meanings and the transmission of ideas. At the same time
they are opposite sides of the same coin and, as forms of art, they are the only ones that can open a window to the truth. In her work, Eozen Agopian combines the harmony and the randomness we find in nature. Balance presupposes a sense of duality, and, despite its opposing powers, her art reflects the unification of the psychic world. In fact, itfunctions as a mirror of the ontological depth of the human soul.

Eleni Athanassiou
Art Historian