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Tigran Hamalbashyan, 2025 East-West Resident
Blending cultural elements with contemporary techniques, visual artist and designer Tigran Hamalbashyan creates digital collages that reimagine tradition through a modern lens. His creative work also extends into furniture design, as the co-founder of Sevanteen, a studio specializing in transformable furniture. In our exclusive interview, Tigran shares insights about his residency at the Villa Empain and how it has shaped his latest creative endeavor.
Having recently completed your East-West Residency at the Villa Empain, what aspects of the experience stood out the most for you?
There were many impressive and memorable moments during my time at the Villa Empain. The building itself, its location next to a beautiful and spacious park, and the opportunity to explore Brussels and Belgium in detail for an entire month made the experience unforgettable.
During your residency, you focused on creating a digital mixed-media collage project dedicated to Brussels and other Belgian cities. Could you share more about this project, the inspiration behind it, and how your time in Brussels influenced its development and progress?
Yes, my time in Brussels has had a strong influence on the development of my work, as I was able to collect a wide variety of valuable materials for my collages there. During my time in Brussels, I had already begun making sketches with the materials I collected to prepare my future large collages.
European cities, their architecture, and culture have always been a source of inspiration for me in creating collages. In Brussels and other cities in Belgium, I gathered a rich collection of fascinating photographic materials, which I have already started using for a new, large series of collages.
Aside from your original intentions, what new ideas or directions emerged during your time in Brussels?
I met an art consultant in Brussels who might help me introduce my collages to the Belgian art scene, and I also received an offer to exhibit and sell my work in Portofino, Italy.
Moments from Tigran Hamalbashyan's East-West Residency
You have a unique background as an interior and furniture designer. You’re also a prolific artist who has worked on standout posters for prestigious events, like the 2024 Golden Apricot Film Festival and Milan Fashion Week. How does your professional background inform your work and creative process?
My work as a designer is closely connected to the collages I create. I’ve been interested in both since I was a child, and now they really feed into each other. My design experience helps me put together the compositions in my collages, while making collages pushes me to come up with bolder and more original ideas than I usually do in design.
Reflecting on your time as the East-West Resident, what do you consider the most valuable takeaway from the experience?
All the experiences I had during the East-West Residency and mentioned above are equally important to me.