With weighty shadows and crisp lines, Vardanyan’s large-scale paintings of groups of young students capture the tension between the individual and community—aside from a couple of whispering girls, the teenagers don’t interact with each other, instead staring down at their phones, listening to music, or slouching over on a couch in a dissociative state. The most recognizable details are the classmates’ sneakers and loafers, most of them wearing big brands, emphasizing the influence and social importance of global companies. While the paintings create a sense of the current state of younger generations, the addition of Armenian rugs on the floor allude to a familial past, asking how our identities are based on where we come from and what we wear, listen to, and consume.

Lowell Ryan Projects
4619 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016