A Suffocating Presence
A Suffocating Presence
By Dzovig Arnelian
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Artwork by Dzovig Arnelian.
Acrylic On Canvas
45x45 cm, 2019
To be born as a woman is to be born with waging war. A combat we often face with our own body and its challenging alterations, and a battle we are forced into with the society surrounding it.
My artworks “My Red Milk I” and “My Red Milk II” are breast prints on a bra's exterior and interior parts. Through this work, I represent the harsh pain of womanhood and motherhood, often dipped in blood and pain.
I create these works by painting on my body and pressing my body onto personal cotton. Through this procedure, I desire to directly transfusion pain and emotions from my body to intimate items and belongings.
In the third artwork, entitled “A suffocating presence,” a nude female figure is represented in a complex yet tight interior structure. This woman fights with all her limbs to survive and thrive in her environment.
As a unity, these three artworks manifest our willingness as women and humans to continue flourishing through difficulty. In light of the “Unyielding” collective exhibition, my work stands as a resilient path to all the hardships that accompany a woman's journey.
About Dzovig Arnelian
Dzovig Arnelian was born on March 6, 1996, in Beirut, Lebanon, into a family of musicians. Although she spent her first years listening to music, painting caught her attention; thus, from age 13, she started to express herself through art.
Arnelian enrolled in the Lebanese University, where she received her Bachelor's degree in Plastic Arts, then later completed her Master’s degree in the same field.
The art of Dzovig Arnelian could be described as a fusion between the classical figurative art of the Baroque era and contemporary expressionism. Her paintings and body prints evoke sensuality, love, fertility, and intimacy. These feelings are sometimes mixed with anger and a rebellious approach criticizing the prevalent perspective on women’s bodies.
Dzovig’s compositions are enhanced by her versatile use of intimate mediums, such as bed sheets, bras, underwear, sensual linens, and many more personalized items, where she boldly takes the lead in expressing femininity uniquely.
Although, at first glance, her works resemble figurative nudes, she has succeeded in her terms to express femininity in all its delicacy, sensuality, and power.
Dzovig had her first solo exhibition, "24 Universes," in 2020 at Artlab Gallery, and since then, she has participated in many international exhibitions in Africa, Egypt, Spain, the USA, and Japan. Her artworks today are part of many prestigious private collections all over the globe.