About
It comes from years of effort to preserve my INNER creative self.Life is a celebration; and the scarf is my symbol of FREEDOM!
My Armenian father gave me a popular Armenian name spelled Gayaneh.
I made it my version- Gayana. (Word gaia comes from Greek- “earth goddess” and in Hindi it means a Song, Singing, a chant…)
My whole life I had to conform.I was born in Moscow – USSR. (The government had a “lifetime” plan for all its citizens where we all needed to fit in. There was NO individualism, just the ideology of “the common good”.
But then came India…..! I was 9 years old. It was FREEDOM. The colors, the nature, textures, scents!! Everything was so vibrant. I felt awakened. Back in the USSR I received a degree from University of Moscow in leather goods and accessory design. Upon graduation I landed a prestigious position as a shoe designer at one of the top shoe manufacturing companies in the country.
Just as my career was taking off as a young designer the Soviet Union came apart and with the collapse of the government, collapsed the economy. One day my bosses came to me and said, “there is no paycheck- here are some boots – go sell them in the open market”! I found myself peddling men’s boots in the freezing cold winter! After that surreal experience I had to pull myself up by the “bootstraps” (pun intended) and I earned a law degree (just in case…) It was a deep struggle from there on to stay true to myself and continue my passage as an artist. It is how YOU SEE yourself not your circumstances that define you. My LOVE for oil painting persevered and landed me exhibitions in Rome, Venice, St. Petersburg, Ukraine, Turkey and etc.
Today I am proud to say that one of my works is on permanent display in the Vatican.
I SAY TO ALL: KEEP YOUR INNER DIALOGUE ALIVE! STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF NO MATTER THE ADVERSITY!
If you are wondering, why the scarf medium: While painting I discovered the love for creating patterns, shapes and repetitions that create emotions. These patterns started becoming “self-sufficient” and “the art started claiming its own territory”- the patterns started finishing themselves. Artworks took on a life of their own. The only medium that could finish the patterns and give them borders was a new type of canvas for me- a SCARF.
I love the movement of the fabric.And my full circle was there-my fabric of life unfolding- my inner world stories on squares!
The scarf is my truth and my FREEDOM!