Narine Kchikian’s “The Tale of Trees” art exhibition at the Sisson Art Gallery
HFC visual arts instructor Narine Kchikian’s (pronounced “Nah-ree-neh K-chi-kyan”) exhibition, “The Tale of Trees,” is on display in HFC’s Sisson Art Gallery on the first floor of the MacKenzie Fine Arts Center (Building F on the main campus) until Thursday, March 27.
The Sisson's hours for the Winter 2025 semester are:
- Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
There will be an opening reception for Kchikian on Friday, February 21, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Sisson.
There will also be a demonstration and conversation with Kchikian on Monday, February 24, from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Sisson. She will be drawing and answering questions. Both the reception and the demonstration are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
“The Tale of Trees” exhibition features a new body of work and invites the audience to experience the artist’s research, which is grounded in collaboration with nature through the act of drawing and merging a two-dimensional illusionary world with reality. This exhibition runs in conjunction with the 2024-25 Henry Ford College Lectureship Award, which recognizes the importance of individual faculty research and scholarship to the college, the importance of continuing field-based research for Henry Ford College students, and the value of an intellectually engaged faculty.
Physical surroundings and mental landscapes
A native of Kazakhstan, Kchikian moved to Detroit in 1991 and has been an active member of its art community. She earned her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the College of Creative Studies and her master’s degree in sculpture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills.
Kchikian has been a practicing studio artist for more than 30 years and has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, engaging and inspiring audiences with her artistic voice. She has also taught for more than 20 years at colleges and various art programs in Michigan, including HFC, the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design Pre-College Programs in Ann Arbor.
“My work investigates the act of creating everyday reality and the role that personal experiences play in it,” said Kchikian. “Using the architecture of a space as a point of departure, I explore how our physical surroundings interlace and influence our mental landscapes. In my drawings, I examine the intersection of structures, time, and light, documenting settings that give a distinct, altered perspective on existing details of objects and places. When transforming my experience of the site into physical representation, the place becomes a world where it is possible for the imaginary to equal the real.”
HFC Faculty Chair of Fine and Performing Arts Steve Glazer organized Kchikian’s exhibition and reception. For questions or more information about the reception, the demonstration, or the exhibition, contact Glazer at sglazer@hfcc.edu.