ՎԵՐԱԴԱՐՁ - RETURN: A Triumphant Homecoming

A Historic Achievement

We are honored to announce the successful opening of ՎԵՐԱԴԱՐՁ - RETURN, Zadik Zadikian’s first-ever exhibition in his home country of Armenia. This landmark achievement was made possible through the generous support of the broader Armenian community and our dedicated sponsors. On May 6th, 2025, the Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Yerevan opened its doors to a profound artistic homecoming nearly six decades in the making.

The Journey Home

After escaping from the Soviet Union in 1966 and building an extraordinary artistic career across San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles, Zadikian’s return to Armenia represents not merely a personal homecoming, but a profound act of artistic and existential reintegration. Thanks to the collective effort of our community, we were able to successfully install and present this monumental work at one of Armenia’s premier cultural institutions.

The Work: Foreigners Reimagined

For this exhibition, Zadikian’s pivotal work Foreigners has undergone a complete metamorphosis. Originally created in Los Angeles, the installation was reimagined and reborn as a site-specific monumental installation for Gallery One at the Cafesjian Center.

The monumental wall has been transformed into a crafted black void—THE VOID—a space that not only supports the work but becomes its integral part. Thousands of abstract gravity-sculpted portraits, gilded in gold leaf, are suspended across this cosmic field like constellations of memory etched into timeless space.

An Immersive Experience

Situated in a public space with continuous human flow, Foreigners extends beyond its physical form into lived experience. The golden faces suspended in the void begin to mirror the passing visitors, blending the identities of bystanders into the installation itself. The work becomes not only a meditation on displacement but an immersive encounter—where the line between viewer and image, stranger and self, dissolves.

A Dedication to the Fallen

This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of the fallen soldiers of Armenia during the 2020 Artsakh conflict. Their sacrifice resonates deeply within the work’s themes of loss, displacement, and the eternal search for home.

Community Support

The success of ՎԵՐԱԴԱՐՁ - RETURN would not have been possible without the generous support of our project sponsors:

• Ourfalian Family
• Khudikyan Family
• Sarafyan Family
• Gabriela Voskerician, PhD
• Armenia Fund
• Torosyan Family
• Setrakian Family
• Keosian Family
• Edward Demirjian

We extend our deepest gratitude to Armen Yesayants, Director of Exhibitions at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, whose vision and curatorial guidance brought this project to life.

Special thanks to photographer Asatur for capturing the beauty of opening night.

About the Artist

Zadik Zadikian (born 1946 in Yerevan, Armenia) is an Armenian-American artist renowned for his transformative use of gold leaf in sculpture and installation art. After studying at the Panos Terlemezian Art Academy in Yerevan, he escaped from the Soviet Union in 1966, swimming across the Araks River in search of artistic freedom.

Zadikian settled in San Francisco in 1968, working with sculptor Benjamin Bufano, and later moved to New York City in 1973, collaborating with minimalist artist Richard Serra. His work has been exhibited internationally at prestigious venues including MoMA PS1, Newport Harbor Art Museum, Art Dubai, and most recently at the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary exhibition, “Solid Gold” (2024).

Currently residing in Los Angeles, Zadikian continues to explore minimalist forms and the symbolic power of gold through his sculptures and installations.

Exhibition Details

ՎԵՐԱԴԱՐՁ - RETURN
Zadik Zadikian

Opening: May 6th, 2025
Venue: Cafesjian Center for the Arts, Gallery One
Location: Yerevan, Armenia
Curator: Armen Yesayants

This exhibition represents a great achievement for Fallen Angels Inc. and demonstrates the power of community support in bringing Armenian culture to international prominence. We are proud to have facilitated this historic homecoming and look forward to continued collaboration with artists, institutions, and supporters who share our mission.

For more information about our upcoming projects and how to support Armenian artists, please visit our Contact or Donate pages.