Parajanov with Sarkis

13 December 2018 – 17 March 2019

Pera Müzesi is presenting for the first time in Turkey a selection bringing together all periods from the multifaceted, multicultural visual arts world of renowned director Sergey Parajanov, a master of poetic cinema. Spanning a broad range from traditional to Pop Art, the exhibition features striking works produced with distinctive originality—from collages to film scene sketches, costumes to patterns, paintings, mosaics, objects, photographs—and illuminates the artist's rich universe. Born in Tbilisi, Parajanov received vocal and violin training in childhood, pursued ballet and painting, worked with a theatre company, wrote screenplays, and engaged with every branch of the fine arts. He settled in Moscow and studied at the Institute of Cinema Studies. With his unique and astonishing language, he ranks among cinema history's most significant directors. In his works, childhood, family, religion, captivity, freedom, multiculturalism and traditional themes stand foremost, though everything about life finds its place. While his style approaches many genres, it does not fully belong to any; it is entirely his own. Due to his oppositional stance, he endured difficult struggles with the Soviet regime followed by prolonged periods of imprisonment, and was deprived of the opportunity to make films. He begins his collages during this time; for him, everything is material, and with the unlimited fantasy world and symbolism he created, he is a master of object art. These also offer him both freedom and the possibility of transcending boundaries. His powerful creative energy finds expression in his collages after his cinema. In the exhibition, works produced by Sarkis, another master artist passionately devoted to Parajanov, occupy an important place—works that carry the nature of a tribute to Parajanov. In parallel with the exhibition prepared in collaboration with the Sergey Parajanov Museum in Yerevan, a curated film selection is also presented.