‘She Loves’ Art Exhibition Brings Together 45 Women Artists on Feb. 10

LOS ANGELES— “She Loves,” a contemporary-art exhibition featuring the works of close to 45 artists, will open on February 10 at the Honeypot Studio in Downtown Los Angeles. The exhibition will remain open through February 12.

Most of the artists participating in the show are members of the She Loves Collective, which was founded in Los Angeles in 2016. “Our goal is to organize experimental exhibitions and workshops that showcase the works of extraordinary artists while pushing the boundaries of artistic expression,” said Nelly Achkhen, co-founder of the She Loves Collective.

The wide array of works featured in the show will encompass fine art, photography, video installations, performance art, poetry, music, sculpture, and art couture, created by artists ranging from painters and sculptors to floral artists and architects.

“The works run the gamut of genre and style, from the dead-serious to the tongue-in-cheek, and from the ironic to the in-your-face, together forming what we like to describe as a quilt of love,” said Adrineh Baghdassarian, founder of the She Loves Collective and curator of the “She Loves” exhibition, and continued, “What these works share is an affirmation of the inexhaustible vibrancy and promise of love. In today’s world, where love, tolerance, and inclusiveness seem to be increasingly in short supply, we think it’s vitally important to celebrate the power of love through the language of art.”

Recalling the year-long process of helping develop the “She Loves” exhibition, Anahid Boghosian, one of the collective’s founding Board members, said, “As we introduced the concept of the exhibition to various artists and they came onboard one after the other, we were touched by not only their excitement, but also eagerness to think outside the box. We told them there were no rules or limitations they needed to contend with — whether in terms of subject matter, genre, or medium. Accordingly, our artists very much rose to the occasion, and we couldn’t be happier with the results!”

The Honeypot Studio, the venue of the exhibition, is a beloved Downtown landmark, just walking minutes from the Staple Center and L.A. Live. With its dramatic backdrops, original trusses, high ceilings, and exposed brick walls, the massive Honeypot space, formerly a warehouse is also frequently used for photo shoots and as a film location.

For more information on the “SheLoves” and the participating artists visit shelovescollective.com. Tickets to the exhibition are limited and must be purchased in advance, from itsmyseat.com.

The exhibition will be open 7-10 pm on February 10; 7-10 pm on February 11; and 12-5 pm on February 12.

Some of the participating artists responded to question from Asbarez ahead of the February 10 launch. Below we present a sampling of their responses.

Adrineh Baghdassarian Founder & Curator
“Love is the thread that binds us.

The artistic movement of She Loves has an all-encompassing purpose that enhances each artist’s distinctive particularity.

We like to think that a woman’s love is expansive, active, enduring and steady. For a woman, maternal love reaches the peak of the biological and socio-psychological realms (just to name a simple example). It’s that same maternal/matriarchal force of nature that sustains our collective and beyond.

The scope of love is too expansive, too abstract, and too malleable a sentiment for an absoluteness in definition to be possible.

This is specific to each artist, but in general, love transports something of the inner core of the artist’s work that relays her feelings, attitudes, and passions.”

Taline Olmessekian
“To me, ‘She loves’ is a platform on which individual female Armenian artists are united to voice the collective message of unity and un-conditionality of LOVE through the diverse language of ART.

The overwhelming love & support of all participants trickling down from the top has brought a sense of unity in numbers and mission rather than individuality in my opinion. Hence the success of the fellow artists almost has become the success of the individuals

“The movement created by this ground breaking event in our community cannot be underestimated. If LOVE is the undercurrent of any movement that movement can only flourish to different colors and forms. I would hope for the collective’s effort to be spread to different states and continents and collect momentum both in its message & in numbers.

I believe change comes from recognition of the areas in which it is presumed necessary. Also change comes from positive contribution to the society in which we are trying to encourage change. We cannot declare victory and seat back after our February show.. What we do next collectively is what’s going to bring the change that we are all wishing for!”

Anahid Boghossian
“She loves is a bold and yet relatable statement by a collective of women artist that want to be seen and heard.

My contribution to the collective is my unique perspective, being a native Angeleno, a proud Armenian, and a female creative raised in contradictory worlds that I feel have shaped my work. And my work is about taking the discarded, the broken, the old….and turning into works worthy of taking note. Women artists in general have been underrated and not given their due for centuries… I believe in the collective’s mission and its direct correlation to my work will help us to be heard.

My piece ‘SURRENDER’ uses all recycled materials from books, canvas, wood, and metal to create a female form that represents this all. Broken, beautiful, standing tall, will all my love in me, on me, around me. I AM LOVE… WE ARE ALL LOVE

I would like to see that the SHE LOVES artists create a community willing to come together with a single goal: To make 2017—a year desperately in need of love and tolerance—a year that ‘SHE LOVES.’”

Mari Mansourian
“’She Loves’ to me represents the force behind the emotions and energy that are expressed by women for all things we feel a deep connection towards. This force is what we refer to as love. It is the core of what inspires, empowers, and encourages us (women) to push through all obstacles and challenges in life as well as see, feel, express, share and create beauty in our daily lives.

Our mission as a collective being to empower and inspire women, men, all humans, I hope to show how deeply women express love towards others,each other as well as the journey some of us have to travel to find that love for ourselves as well. I hope to provoke and stimulate a wave of thought in women to freely express and feel a deeper love for themselves as well as all things which penetrate our hearts.

I believe there is power in a group that is driven by the need to provoke thought, to inspire an idea, to influence a movement through art, specially if the force behind that drive is love, collective love. I would like to see the collective grow and encourage more and more people to make an impact through free expression, through creativity and though the pure and simple act of sharing and spreading love by organizing more and more exhibitions such as “She Loves” and spread it globally.

What I hope the collective will achieve in the Armenian art scene is to simply push the imagination and open opportunities for younger generations to freely pursue and achieve their full potential through boundless expression of creativity for the love of art.”

Helena Gregorian
“SheLoves for me is the collective of women elevating, encouraging, and allowing exploration of Art in all its various forms.

My work for this show focuses on some cultural elements of the Armenian community as I have observed. I hope that when its experienced it will create a conversation.

I would love for the collective to travel to other cities encouraging love and diversity, and allowing exploration of feminine voices in the Arts.

I hope that the collective opens a dialogue in the community. I hope it pushes the envelope of the safe places in Armenian art and encourages alternative voices to be heard within and beyond the scope of the Armenian diaspora.”

Anet Abnous
“She loves mean a universal language that can relate to any female, male, artist or not. She can love anything and anyone and express the love in so many ways, by words, physically, or using any form of art….I believe there is not life (happy life) without LOVE.

I believe every person is different and unique in their own special way and also each individual has a different vision on how they can contribute.

I believe the mission of this collective is to bring women together and empower them, give voice to some who are afraid to express or don’t have the chance to.

Speaking about my individual contribution can first be heard through my art titled “Amour Propre” meaning self-love.

In order for everyone to be able to love anyone or anything they should first learn to love themselves and have self-respect. Second through bringing my support and networking and connection to She loves group. Empowering women has always been my mission specially Armenian women.

I would like to see the collective grow and have branches in different states or even countries.

To unite like-minded artists. I believe Adrineh and Nelly as founders of this collective have the vision and positive influence and connection to make this collective to grow and become and International group.

This collective will open doors and give exposure to artist who have created more contemporary art versus traditional Armenian art.

They will be able to help Armenian artist to get enough recognition and exposure in non-Armenian communities and galleries and also educate Armenian people about new mediums and styles of art that they are not used to. Let’s hope our Armenian community will be one of the first groups to help us empower Armenian female artist since we have so many talents that need the light to shine.

Alenoush Kazakos
“’SHE LOVES’ is female creativity derived from her soul, her creations are emotional and embodies her love and spirit.

My passions, ongoing need to create, and giving nature can be used to fuel the “She Loves” engine.

Stronger, united, ready to take on the world. Empowering women artist from all over the world. Branching out into different creative avenues.

Empowering female individualism within the Armenian community by giving voice to female creativity and vision.”

Yeva Babayan
“’SheLoves’ means everything that encompasses the feminine in the Universe.

My work focuses on energetic love, and energy is everything reality is composed of, therefore it can radiate with the viewer and transport them to a place of love.

I would like the collective to evolve and travel around the world spreading love and giving new and emerging artists and chance to be seen.

I would like the collective to be more open and free in ways we express love and emotion as we tend to be a more suppresed in our ways as a result of cultural traditions.

Armineh Hovanesian
“She Loves means expression, uniqueness, innovation and freedom.

My contribution is to show the viewers all about the mobile art movement which I’m proud to be a member and part of.

I’d like to see the collective break barriers, be forward and break the rules.

I hope this Collective will validate women and their contribution to the Armenian arts reality.”

Evleen Bakhtamian
“’SheLoves’ means camaraderie, Freedom to express, It’s reiterating the fact that the world would not exist without how, what, when, why “she loves”!

There is power in numbers, I will make the collective a stronger team, by bringing my own inner strength, creative expression and energy to the collective and our mission, which is to change the voice of the Armenian art culture, will be one more member strong to show that Armenians (women specially) are able to use art as intellect in the modern day culture. Everyone is so fixated on Armenians being famous because of the Kardashians….. There will soon be a show called, “keeping up with the collectivists !

We’ve all observed many of the Armenian artists’ subjects being the likes of the pomegranate, ladies with water jugs on their shoulders, religious figures… As for Architecture, the projects of choice are mostly commemorate our heritage or a structure signifying the strength of our nationality. Yes, we are ready for a change. The problem I see is that our Armenian art is a reflection of our attitude as a nation and nationality. We still have a long way to go to be able to come to terms with our history and move forward and live in the present…. at that point our art will be able to go through a “renaissance” that it desperately needs. I feel that our collective will slowly start to wake up our people to the fact that ITS TIME TO MOVE ONWARD AND FORWARD and have a “rebirth” through art and our collective creative eye.