Chant Avedissian

Chant Avedissian (1951 – 2018) was born in Cairo to Armenian parents, Chant Avedissian was a celebrated Egyptian artist regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Arab art. 

After his education in his native Egypt, he studied at the School of Art and Design in Montreal, Canada, and later at the National Higher School of Decorative Arts in Paris. He returned to Cairo in the 1980s, when he worked as an archivist for pioneering Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy, whose philosophy on vernacular architecture, sustainable building methods and cultural continuity influenced Avedissian’s approach to exploring identity through art. This connection helped deepen his understanding of the intersection of tradition, modernity and cultural heritage. 

Known for his visual style that combined popular culture, graphic design and traditional Arab art forms, Avedissian’s work consistently engaged with the complexities of identity - both personal and cultural. His art explored how mass media, historical references and the rapidly changing urban landscape shaped the perception of identity in Egypt and the broader Middle East.

Avedissian is particularly known for his use of stencils that began in the 1990s, a technique that he likened to the process of printmaking – “assembling given forms like a brick wall…” 

His most famous works fused stencil art with popular Egyptian imagery, offering a powerful critique of the role of mass media in shaping perceptions of culture and identity. This exploration of identity was also marked by the recurring use of geometric patterns, architectural motifs and references to Egypt's historical, social and cultural fabric. His use of corrugated cardboard as a medium was a response to the urbanisation, consumer culture and shifting landscapes of Egypt and the Middle East, symbolising the transient nature of identity in the face of modernity. 

Avedissian’s solo exhibitions include, most recently: ‘A Levantine Heading East; Casa Árabe’, Madrid and Cordoba, Spain (2017); ‘Transfer, Transport, Transit; Sabrina Amrani’, Madrid, Spain (2017); Gallery Janine Rubeiz, Beirut (2006); and National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington (2000). 

His work has also appeared in group exhibitions that include: ‘Visions of Ancient Egypt’, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, UK (2023); ‘The Future of Traditions: Writing Pictures - Contemporary Art from the Middle East’, Brunei Gallery, University of London, UK (2023); ‘Heroes: Principles of African Greatness’, National Museum of African Art, Washington DC (2019); ‘Arabicity|Ourouba’, Middle East Institute Art Gallery, Washington DC (2019); ‘Soundlines of Contemporary Art’, Cafesjian Center for the Arts, Yerevan, Armenia (2018); ‘From Sound to Silence’, Galerie Tanit, Beirut (2017); ‘Adventures of the Black Square: Abstract Art and Society 1915 – 2015’, Whitechapel Gallery, London (2015); ‘What Remains Part I’, Rose Issa Projects, London (2014); ‘Re-Orientations II’, Rose Issa Projects, London (2012); ‘Green: A Spring Hanging’, Rose Issa Projects, London (2012); ‘Arabicity’, Beirut Exhibition Centre, Beirut (2010); ‘Taswir - Pictorial Mappings of Islam & Modernity’, Martin Gropius Bau Museum, Berlin (2009); ‘Re-Orientations: Contemporary Arab Representations’, European Parliament, Brussels (2008); and ‘Love Affairs’, IFA Galleries, Stuttgart, Bonn, Berlin (2003).

Avedissian’s work has been shown at Kwangju Biennale, South Korea (1995) and at key art fairs such as Art Dubai, Abu Dhabi Art, Art Basel in Miami and Hong Kong. 

Avedissian’s work can also be found in public collections that include: the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; National Museum of African Art - Smithsonian Institution, Washington; the British Museum, London; National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh; Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; National Gallery of Jordan, Amman; Guggenheim Abu Dhabi; and Mathaf, Doha, Qatar.