Press

The Bohemian Aesthetic Emil Kazaz and the Eternal Symbols

commentary by Peter Quinones
the bohemian aesthetic
February 21, 2008
Read the Full Article "Every human is an artist. And this is the main art that we have: the creation of our story." -Don Miguel Ruiz


Art can be a confounding thing, and the general scene loosely lobbed under the broad category of 'Modern Art' is often enraging and mystifying. A lot of it can seem like so much hype, noise, and fraud. We think of Duchamp's toilet bowl, Jeff Koons' basketballs, Burden's infamous "Garçon!" cream pitcher, or even Barnett Newman's large canvases painted a single solid color, and it's very easy to get the feeling that we're being had. (I suspect this very feeling is what turns many otherwise interested people off of Modern Art.) In my opinion, a big drawback is that art of this sort is too 'now', too easily identified with this time, this place, this age. It's, therefore, refreshing to come across work that can't be pinned down in such a manner, that's completely indifferent to the present; work that deals in types or archetypes. The creations of the Armenian-born, Los Angeles-based painter and sculptor Emil Kazaz seem, to me, to be just that. Indeed, in studying Kazaz' art (either his paintings or sculptures) it's impossible to say if it was created in 2007 or 1607; there are no social, historical, or epochal references of any kind. Everything is pulled out of the eternal, the atemporal—what Carl Jung termed 'the collective unconscious'...

The Genius Has a Great Woman Behind Him

commentary by Gohar Hakobyan
the bohemian aesthetic
February 07, 2008
Read the Full Article An Interview with Emil Kazaz by Gohar Hakobyan in www.Aravot.am Daily February 07, 2008/Section: Culture







Untitled Interview with Emil Kazaz In the Studios of the City

commentary by Naira Mnatsakanyan
the bohemian aesthetic
March 31, 2008
Read the Full Article An Interview with Emil Kazaz by Naira Mnatsakanyan in www.Oragark.com Armenian Periodical VOLUME III, NO. 29, MARCH 31, 2008, page 1 and 7.




Firenze Biennale Internazionale D'arte Contemporanea Fortezza Da Basso 1/9 Dicembre 2007

commentary by Prof Emanuela Catalano Stonca
the bohemian aesthetic Qui a Firenze e alIa Biennale Emil Kazaz e conosciuto ed e stato uno dei trionfatori delle passate edizioni, per la precisione la terza.

La citta, tutta, mota attomo al suo spazio espositivo. Non si puo ignorare la sua opera, di un livello qualitativo che si impone, cosi come il bronzo delle sue grandi statue. Pittura e scultura sono per lui, come per l'artista rinascimentale, inscindibili; usa un mezzo espressivo 0 l'altro a seconda dell' urgenza delIa creazione, che per questo artista e come esporre sempre una parte di se. Questo travagliato autore di origini armene ha conosciuto precocemente grandissimi dolori da cui dice solo Dio 10 ha protetto, salvato e condotto alIa via dell'arte. Dio e l'unico parente, il solo Padre che gli e rimasto e a lui Emil si rivolge per avere quel conforto che 10 sprona nella sua incessante ricerca. Questo artista usa il suo talento naturale e l' ottima preparazione sia tecnica che culturale ed umana, per ere are opere concettualmente complesse e uniche. II mondo in cui vive immerso e altro da quello delIa attuale societa americana; e un mondo abitato dai personaggi delIa mitologia greca che interagiscono trasfigurati da intuizioni gioiose e colte in una simbologia autoironica, per mezzo delIa quale egli e sempre dentro Ie sue opere, spettatore di se stesso, anche se sotto sembianze sempre differenti. Qui in mostra sono tre grandi opere due bronzi, di cui uno molto grande e un disegno.
II primo bronzo, di grande formato, intitolato "coppa delIa Luna" presenta in incontro camale con la Dea Luna e il brindisi delIa gioia finale con il suo partner trasfigurato in ariete. II secondo bronzo, pili contenuto nelle dimensioni, nel soggetto riprende altre tematiche care a questo autore. II gioco e l'irriverenza, il suo titolo e " Giocattolo del Re" e presenta una donna nuda, una ballerina, come ci dicono Ie sue scarpine lievi, il giocattolo appunto,sulla groppa del re, il Minotauro, che cavalca felice assieme ad un ebbro satiro. Ma attenzione ,stravolgimento e grottesco non sono terminati , il Re, il Minotauro, il toro, maschio per eccellenza ha grosse mammelle pendule cariche di latte . Un pesce dall' espressione stordita presenzia la scena muto testimone di questo evento. II disegno presente in mostra, sempre di un soggetto che comprende mitologia e storia, come tutte Ie opere bidimensionali di questo pittore e fortemente volumetrico e il segno,finissimo e impalpabile e tutt'affatto differente da quello delle sculture. II titolo di quest' opera e " II Centauro di Venezia" la scena,allusiva e ammiccante mostra Venezia personificata in una donna che, esibendo abbondantemente il seno, si avvicina a cavallo di un satiro, al Centauro; due elementi simbolici completano la scena: un cupido alato che sta dietro il Centauro e un cane al guinzaglio fermo tra la donna e il Centauro. Subito e percepibile che Ie diverse forme d'arte attingono ad uno stile unitario e a una koine figurativa completamente originale .
Ironia e auto ironia si accompagnano al talento, al gusto beffardo, per l'irrisione, aIle deformazioni dei corpi, alIa sensualita, alIa bestialita, al senso del sublime; ebbrezza di visioni e giocosita sono sempre alIa base delle composizioni. E dopo tutto questo, come non pensare, per me che sono italiana, a Federico Fellini? Fantasmagorico,onirico, surreale, camale, sensuale, irridente; come quello del regista e il mondo artistico di Emil Kazaz Le opere in scultura rilevano la sua tecnica innovativa che 10 vede lavorare il bronzo, dopo la fusione in fonderia, lungamente con la fiamma ossidrica, per ricavarne una superficie che,come quella delIa ceramica, pare portare impressi i segni delle mani dell'artista.
In questo passaggio e come se egli "scolpisse" la scultura in bronzo - cosa che non e materialmente possibile fare - e al termine del lavoro , se ne e soddisfatto, 10 lascia scuro, col colore naturale delIa materia, cos! come voleva Donatello, per meglio percepire la vibrazione del modellato.

Emil Kazaz Wins Medici Award in Italy

Armenian Reporter
the bohemian aesthetic
January 17, 2004
Read the Full Article The renowned sculptor-painter Emil Kazaz of Los Angeles won one of the five gold medals for the sculpture category in the 4th International Biennale Exhibition, which took place in Florence, Italy, December 6-15, 2003. More than 890 artists from 72 countries took part in this prestigious exhibition of contemporary art.

The international jury of ten was a virtual who's who in art: Don Ashton, author or editor of 30 books on art; Dr. Barbara Rose, author of 20 books on art; Kevin Power, internationally known author; Teresa Ortega Coca, Spain's well-known art historian, and others. The international scientific committee of 37 was comprised of curators, professors, ...

Nature and the Art of Emil Kazaz

commentary by Joe Lewis
the bohemian aesthetic Armenian born artist Emil Kazaz creates mythologically grounded figures within a realm of half-light.

His themes are a blend of sensual mysticism and provocative introspection --beauty, love and valor prevail. Kazaz's characters are original, acutely observed, and marvelously refreshing --especially considering how well worn this territory is. Although often obscured by the appearance of conformity to western classical figurative tradition, his sophisticated and culturally diverse aesthetic psychology produces a living rather than mummified iconography, not from frozen in time but archetype dancing to our collective internal rhythms. Once you recognize his anti-formal dances, the classicism becomes transparent.
Kazaz straddles the creative philosophies of two world cultures, East and West, bodies in constant flux. He twists conventions together. Iridescent Arabic manuscript illuminations romp with Western compositional restraints -- emotion and color confronting line and form. These myth shrouded figures push us around, disturb our choices and decisions, without slick faddism. They attach themselves to something deep within each of us, and, like cartographers, provide maps for our humanity
Early on, Kazaz abandoned the stiff realist paradise of his academic Soviet-styled Art School training, as well as the West's formalized penchant for abstraction and conceptualism. He sees both systems as obsolete and not helpful to the human catharsis within society. He also disclaims any connections to the self-centered political appropriateness advocated by much of today's criticism.
To paraphrase the poet John Dryden, Art is the "image of nature". All theories of Art have made some allowance for both terms: image, a thing in itself, a construct; and nature, what the Art addresses or imitates. Kazaz imitates nothing and creates everything, leaving nothing to chance. In his work, nature is more ontological than semantic. He moves people from the center of the contemporary universe and reconnects them to metaphysics of our collective past. Pushing the viewer into a thoroughly personal macrocosm, Kazaz does not subordinate his mythic and "supernatural" beings to anything. Not the fuming of a malevolent Old Testament God or the godhaunted demiurge of Greek thought. His characters and situations exist in their present, always trying to meddle with their destiny, and like the adventurers of Homer, moving through unreal worlds of appearances where nothing is what it seems.
Kazaz's approach to Art brings us to the fringe of human nature. Masked by rich color, pattern and texture, attached to brilliant forms, Kazaz's attention to detail is never for its own sake. They are links that connect us to his reconstruced nature, philosophical fragments burning with supernatural potency, that set boundaries and make rules. Kazaz's powers of imitation and aesthetic judgment fool us into thinking we know his terrain. However, upon closer inspection, we find ourselves questioning our very nature while tightly holding on to what we believe, and accepting flux as stability.
There are countless gods, heroes, and demons in our world. You can find them everywhere. They are in Art, literature, and religion. Kazaz's vigilance catches these ethereal beings overseeing the normal routine of everyday people.
Emil Kazaz has been living in Los Angeles, California, since the 80's, where he has been developing very successful international career.

Emil Kazaz and the Art of Just Doing One's Thing "ME NO DRAMA"

commentary By Ishkhan Jinbashian
the bohemian aesthetic
January/February 2005, p. 3
Armenian Arts, Volume 2, Number 1, During a respite from the December thunderstorms, Emil Kazaz's second-story Hollywood apartment feels like a time warp - or a time bomb. Except for a bank statement carelessly lying on the sofa and a recent bottle of Armenian cognac, nothing among the furnishings looks a day younger than 1960.

It's not that Kazaz is an antiques collector in the aristocratic sense - his wares are more garage-sale epiphanies than highbrow auction material. Rather, Kazaz, who himself can inspire an epiphany of sorts, does not particularly care for the modern trappings you and I take for granted and can't seem to possibly do without. Yes, he says, he does have a television set, which he watches now and then; and yes, there is an ancient car sitting in the garage downstairs. But that's about all.
Kazaz may be one of the purest artists you're likely to meet, not because of his aversion to gizmos or the social conventions we swear by, but, ultimately, his child-like approach to his work.
At 52, Kazaz has been there, done that many times over. Born in Gyumri, Armenia, he studied at Yerevan's Terlemezian Art College and then the University of Fine Art, where he couldn't help driving his teachers up the wall as he incorrigibly went against the grain. Yerevan's Soviet-bred art instructors hated the young artist for daring to think out-side the box and doing things with brush and clay that were deemed blasphemous, but grudgingly gave him the highest marks anyway.
Upon graduation, Kazaz decided he had no business lingering behind the Iron Curtain. He settled in Los Angeles in 1980, right after participating in the Moscow Olympic Art Festival. His CV since then reads like any aspiring artist's wet dream: a steady stream of exhibitions in Europe, South America, Canada, and throughout the United States; critical acclaim; plus the prestigious Lorenzo Medici medal from the Florence Biennial in 2003. Last year also saw the publication of a comprehensive catalogue of the artist's works. Entitled Emil Kazaz, the book was released by Mooradian Fine Art and includes essays by art critics Joe Lewis and Henrik Igitian.
But if, after seeing Kazaz's canvases and sculptures, it's easy enough to become fascinated with both the man and his work, attempting to define his art is quite a different matter. Beyond the fact that he can't stand "isms"s of any kind, Kazaz is aghast when asked to comment on meanings and intentions behind his works. He'll tell you it's entirely up to the spectator to not only decide what a given painting or sculpture means, but assess its larger significance as well. So when asked if he has a certain "audience" in mind when he's creating things, Kazaz seems to have reached the end of his tethers. What audience? "The only audience and critic I have to answer to is me, "he says.
What Kazaz does allow to discuss is the source of it all, which he invariably describes as the unconscious mind.
Perhaps one of the greatest achievements an artist can hope for is to establish an individual style that comes through every time, irrespective of experimentation. Kazaz has done this, mainly by remaining true to himself - i.e., to the source. Throughout his works, one detects that same diabolical wit and sense of fun with which he deconstructs, distorts, blasts and always honors the human condition, in all its gore and wondrous hues.
In his phantasmagoric sculptures and densely cinematic, often allegorical paintings, Kazaz makes the abstract and the figurative coexist with a knowing wink, precisely reflecting the essential absurdity of the everyday. And while the mythological and historical references regularly weigh in, the childlike nature of the enterprise is key. This may be described as a certain ebullience that nearly every Kazaz work oozes, and also a sense of tremendous spontaneity, of a kind of elevated freedom, that stays immune to the sterner dictates of the intellect.

The Armenian Reporter

The Armenian Reporter
the bohemian aesthetic
February 05, 2005
Read the Full Article It is a source of intense spiritual joy for the Western Diocese to announce that, on February 17, 2005, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, will host a private reception in honor of United States Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans.

The public forum will take place at 8:00 p.m. in the Armen and Gloria Hampar Primate's Reception Room of the Arshag and Eleanor Dickranian Complex.
Featured at the reception will be the works of internationally acclaimed artist Emil Kazaz. Emil Kazaz is a renowned sculptor and painter who won one of five gold medals for sculpture at the International Biennale ...

Art, History and the Human Nature

commentary By Decio Freitas
the bohemian aesthetic Art is extremely important to every historian who really deserves this name. Arnold Toynbee, great among the greatest historians, recommended to his colleagues that, in order to understand a specific epoch, they should rather bend upon the works of art, than upon written documents, because society's crisis and dramas are best reflected in works of art. He also thought that the great artists were the only reliable prophets, as they had always anticipated historical changes.
To paraphrase the poet John Dryden, art is the "Image of Nature". All theories of art have made some allowance for both terms: image, a thing in itself, a construct; and nature, what the art addresses or imitates. Emil Kazaz imitates nothing and creates everything, leaving nothing to change. In His work nature is more ontological than semantic. He moves people from the center of the contemporary universe and reconnects them to the metaphysics of our collective past.
There are countless gods, heroes, and demons in our world you can find everywhere. They are in art, literature, and religion. Kazaz's vigilance catches these ethereal beings overseeing the normal routine of everyday people.

Art critic, founder and director of The Museum of Contemporary Art in Yerevan - Armenia.

commentary by Henrik Igitian
the bohemian aesthetic The convergence of Western European and Medieval Armenian cultures in Emil's art boils down to a purity of style which denies eclecticism.
Taken through the prism of a genetic code, this style represents a wonderful synthesis which merges the seemingly incompatible, revealing a completely new aspect in contemporary art. Emil's vision is beyond time, it is not subject to devaluation. In his respect Emil is unique and at the same time universal, like the masters of the Renaissance. He created a great number of extraordinary and fantastic characters. Emil and his characters are found together, one may even assume that they are his best and most faithful friends. These characters are visitors from distant they are beyond specific time and space limits. This is a transportation of images put through the time machine, diametrically different from the aliens which have blooded the imagination of our contemporaries. The author of this sophisticated tangle seems to be himself from another life, here with a mission to remind us of the soul, of love, of kindness and the poignant delight of being. They often ask Emil the question: Who do you consider yourself to be, what medium do you prefer? The answer is natural and simple.

"I equally cherish all visual arts. It's like asking whether one prefers air, water, or earth.

  • I am a painter when I paint.

  • I am a draftsman when I draw.

  • I am a sculptor when I sculpt.

That which is unknown in life"
Emil has once told me "I have nothing more to ask from God, he has given me everything I have ever dreamt of." And I, in my turn, have nothing to add to this.

Emil Kazaz Los Angeles Exhibrit

A LittleArmenia.com exclusive
the bohemian aesthetic
December 10, 2004
Read the Full Article Is the beauty of art subjective? There are countless opinions when it comes to this topic. But, whatever the popular consensus to this question, we think that there is one man whose art transcends conventional wisdom when it comes to beauty.

His name, Emil Kazaz.
Unlike any artwork we have ever seen, Emil's subjects are robustly striking, universally (and simultaneously) appealing and appalling, and unabashedly grotesque. And we wouldn't want it any other way. His vision of the world is vastly unique, uncompromising, and incomparable. He is an original, a master. So much so, we speak his name in the same breath as Van Gogh, Picasso, and Michelangelo.
His recent exhibit in Los Angeles reaffirmed our feelings about the man and his work. A few dozen frighteningly charming sculptures and painfully elaborate paintings consumed the minds of the hordes in attendance. The entire gallery was abuzz with electricity, as if we were all knowingly in the presence of eternal greatness, experiencing a special feeling for art that will be, indubitably, even more celebrated and appreciated by generations to come.
Although pictures cannot do justice for his work, we have an exclusive short video of his Los Angeles exhibit we would like to share with you. We hope that this video gives you a glimpse of this man's brilliance.

Discerning Dreams

commentary by MARY C. LETO
Fine Art Page 47 The sculptures are solid concrete statements of realized dreams, compositionally superb, beautifully modeled, their bold powerful presence belies their size.

Emil Kazaz is a sculptor, painter of dreams, creator of myths. Born in Armenia and educated as an artist in the traditional academy style since the age of 8. Kazaz exhibits an uncanny ability to incorporate a multitude of symbols in timeless enigmatic sculptures, paintings and drawings that trigger cross-cultural recognition. He understands the properties of myth and that to exercise the imagination is to heal the psyche and renew the energies. He further acknowledges that we have lost the power to fantasize without a script. Mass media, the written word, literacy has the tendency to eradicate that which cannot be described. Emil paraphrases: "The world is too much with us."
Angels and satyrs, maidens and chariots, Greek gods and jesters, concocted musical instruments that play magical sounds audible to the dreamer alone, and misplaced wings that beat and carry their host are the elements of Kazaz's works. He does not comment on social behavior, the human condition or politics; nor is he a diarist, oracle, prophet or historian. Emil uses the figure in both painting and sculpture to express his imaginings and realize his visions.
He releases the earthbound in his painting "Blessing" with soaring figures that sow dreams in the form of flowers, and through the artists visualization of these dreams the viewer is able to experience the myth as reality.
His paintings and drawings are lighthearted and airy, fluttering close to the picture plane with energetic strokes and spots of pastel colors. His figures are flat yet have form in the manor of an Egyptian frieze, disobeying the laws of perspective, as believable as an occurring dream.
Emil Kazaz cannot be categorized unless "magician" is an acceptable form of representation. He gathers bits and pieces, essences of cultures and times that we almost, but not quite, recognize. He permits us to weave them together with threads of whimsy and makes it known that he is on intimate terms with the muses of Greek lore. Although the art movements - the "isms", "ists", DaDa, Pop, etc. - and their theories are relevant to a specific time, the creative daydreaming, the pure flights of fancy and wild imaginings are stunted in these movements the aboriginal "dreamtime" is lost. Kazaz, in combining symbols of many traditions, creates immeasurable variations of myth satisfying most aesthetic tastes and , when linked with traditional values, his art succeeds in creating a statement to last for all generations.
Emil uses the figure in both painting and sculpture to express his imaginings and realize his vision.
His sculptural technique contradicts that of his painting. The sculptures are solid concrete statements of realized dreams, compositionally superb, beautifully modeled, their bold powerful presence belies their size. "Flying Masquerade," a twenty-two inch sculpture, typically employs all of Emil's skills, insights and sensibilities. Emil returns to the basic intrinsic values found in the sculptural art of Michelangelo and Donatello, settling for nothing less than perfection and an absolute dedication to these ideals. His goal is to perfect visions in sculpture and painting that cannot be described but are intuitively known.
Emil is currently "discerning dreams." His cast bronze sculptures are polished to produce a soft patina, glorifying the creative spirit of each mythic gem, and are issued in small limited editions to retain the integrity of the artist. His paintings and drawings are all originals, thereby maintaining a direct relationship to the artist's spent energies with every rendering he creates. With the perception of a story teller, Emil Kazaz has originated an art that allows us to outwardly dream. He has imbued the dreamed image with mass, form and power, forging lasting works of art.

Emanuela Catalano Storica dell'Arte Studio book edition

Firenze Biennale Internazionaled' Arte Contemporanea Fortezza Da Basso 1/9 Dicembre 2007.

Siamo alIa sesta biennale intemazionale di Arte Contemporanea a Firenze nella antica Fortezza da Basso.
Al centro del padiglione delIa mostra si trova 10 spazio espositivo dedicato a Emil KAZAZ, maestro armeno operante negli Stati Uniti tomato all'attenzione del pubblico europeo,dopo tre anni, in questa prestigiosa sede. Le opere esposte sono tre: due bronzi , di cui uno di grande formato, e un disegno.
Esse ci mostrano l'artista nella pienezza delIa sua forte poetica, in cui vive totalmente immerso. Ci troviamo dinanzi ad un maestro che,come nel '500, pratica tutte Ie discipline artistiche. I suoi bronzi in cui pare di vedere addirittura i segni delle mam, presentano forti soggetti che derivano dalla Mitologia, in cui egli ha calato la sua vita, che pero e trasfigurata in simbolo dall' artista . II primo bronzo, di grande formato, intitolato "coppa delIa Luna" presenta in incontro camale con la Dea Luna e il brindisi delIa gioia finale con il suo partner trasfigurato in ariete. II secondo bronzo, pili contenuto nelle dimensioni, nel soggetto riprende altre tematiche care a questo autore. II gioco e l'irriverenza, il suo titolo e " Giocattolo del Re" e presenta una donna nuda, una ballerina, come ci dicono Ie sue scarpine lievi, il giocattolo appunto,sulla groppa del re, il Minotauro, che cavalca felice assieme ad un ebbro satiro. Ma attenzione ,stravolgimento e grottesco non sono terminati , il Re, il Minotauro, il toro, maschio per eccellenza ha grosse mammelle pendule cariche di latte . Un pesce dall'espressione stordita presenzia la scena muto testimone di questo evento. Questi bronzi presentano una forte corporeita materiale dei personaggi abbinata ad un movimento ludico e sfrenato.
II bronzo e trattato , dopo la fusione, con la fiamma ossidrica perche I' autore usa questa tecnica , che puo definirsi di scultura del bronzo, e infine puo usare dei colori chimici per alcuni passaggi particolari del modellato per evidenziare i preziosi dettagli delle sue opere. II processo artistico e molto* lento perche spes so il maestro rifonde Ie opere, non pienamente soddisfatto dei risultati pertanto il tempo medio di produzione, per Ie grandi opere in bronzo , e anche di un anno.
II disegno presente in mostra, sempre di un soggetto che comprende mitologia e storia, come tutte Ie opere bidimensionali di questo pittore e fortemente volumetrico e il segno,finissimo e impalpabile e tutt'affatto differente da quello delle sculture. II titolo di quest' opera e " II Centauro di Venezia" la scena,allusiva e ammiccante mostra Venezia personificata in una donna che, esibendo abbondantemente il seno, si avvicina a cavallo di un satiro, al Centauro; due elementi simbolici completano la scena: un cupido alato che sta dietro il Centauro e un cane al guinzaglio fermo tra la donna e il Centauro. Non si puo non riconoscere nell' opera di Emil KAZAZ una poetica unitaria e uno stile continuo. La particolarita piu percepibile in questo autore otre al gusto estremo, per la decorazione e la grande attenzione ai dettagli, e di permetterci di ritrovarlo in qualcosa in tutte Ie sue opere; come se si ritraesse continuamente ,tanto in sembianti maschili che femminili.

Interview with Emil Kazaz by Neery Melkonian

NEERY MELKONIAN:
What do you think an artist’s role is in society?

EMIL KAZAZ:
An artist may involve into a revolutionary independent of his or her will. This can’t be a premeditated act. For example: Renaissance art brought a revolution to the art of the Middle Ages. It happened because there was a natural need to return to beauty and humanist ideas, not because someone planned or strategized it. Such means don’t result in art making. They produce political stuff.

NEERY MELKONIAN:
People wonder why are the hands and feet of the figures you depict distorted?.

EMIL KAZAZ:
It bores me depict them accurately.

NEERY MELKONIAN:
Is the re-invention of a new mythology part of your work’s intent?

EMIL KAZAZ:
No, I’m more interested in commenting on the idea of mythology.

NEERY MELKONIAN:
How about good and evil? Do they have a role in your imaginary world?

EMIL KAZAZ:
No, there is no such thing regardless if one wins or losses.

NEERY MELKONIAN:
But you are intrigued by the image of the devil...

EMIL KAZAZ:
That’s because he is mysterious like God. It is mysticism that motivates us to go on. Once we decipher everything, life becomes dull.

NEERY MELKONIAN:
Why do you suppose people feel good while encountering your work?

EMIL KAZAZ:
I guess because I feel good when making it.

NEERY MELKONIAN:
The surface treatment and texture of your sculptures are so rich! Is there a particular culture or place that you are influenced by?

EMIL KAZAZ:
Spain; ancient to present. I feel it is the least altered culture of Europe. While France was going through a revolution, Spain had a monarchy. What I am trying to say is that it resisted outside influences and has preserved its identity which I like.

Neery Melkonian is an art critic living in New York