Tork Angegh and Orhan Pamuk

On December 16, the Sanahin branch of the Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural Association hosted the Tork Angegh book launch and exhibition at the Armenian Community Centre. This was the first time I hung a show on the same evening as the event. This, coupled with unusually heavy traffic on Decarie North, the Metropolitan, and the 15 North, en route to the community centre, had a jolting effect on my central nervous system!

Once my twenty-one illustrations were hung, and the spotlights were installed and directed onto the frames, I took a deep sigh of relief. Varty, Garo, Seta, and Anahid were most efficient and pleasant to work with.

Before the talks, the public had a chance to look at the exhibition. People were curious about my technique-- a combination of acrylic, collage, and hand-stamp printing.

Stephan Daigle, Annouchka Galouchko, Talleen

The event was organized by the Hamazkayin literary committee, and coordinated and presented by Varty Tanielian. Varty got the evening rolling by talking about Ghazaros Aghayan (1840-1911), the writer who recorded Tork Angegh. Aghayan wrote novels, poetry, textbooks, children’s stories, and had a special talent for retelling folktales, in a way that emphasized their inherent social and moral values. The most famous of these retellings is Tork Angegh.

Varty Tanieleian

Varty went on to present my father, Agop Hacikyan. He had warned her not to dwell on his achievements, to save that for his eulogy! But strong-willed as she is, she read four pages worth of claims to fame, from his novels and translations, to his two-year appointment at the United Nations in Geneva in charge of the official languages of the organization, to his year of traveling around the globe with the National Defence College of Canada. When he finally got up to speak he said, “Well, I guess I’m dead now, so I can’t speak!” Somehow he managed to talk about the art of literary translation. He explained that a literary translator does not translate words; he or she translates meaning. . Last year he edited contemporary Armenian short stories by writers of Armenia, translated into English by Armenian translators in Armenia. Agop said that while their effort and the proficiency of English was commendable, the translators lacked the needed cultural background in order to make the translation meaningful. They did not have these cultural references because they did not have a chance to be exposed to them, due to lack of financial support. This was one of the main points that he underlined; it was more of an appeal than a formal presentation. He asked Armenian cultural organizations to provide funding for the translation of Armenian literature.

Talleen, Agop Hacikyan

Three of Varty’s students did a marvelous job of reading excerpts of Tork Angegh in Armenian. I read three excerpts in English. In the restaurant next door there was a party-- a lively party, with dance music that seeped through the wall, into our hall very successfully! It was incongruent reading about summertime on the summit of Lok mountain, the “numerous fountains, pure and crystalline,” and the shepherd flute that was singing “but one song: Love! Love!” to the backbeat of the Village People belting out, “Y.M.C.A.” Thank God for my microphone. At one point during Varty’s talk, I went to the restaurant, walked across the dance floor through strobe lights--resisting the urge to dance the night away--and kindly requested the DJ to turn down the volume, which he did, for a while.

When Varty presented me, she traced my interest in art and writing to my parents’ creative endeavors and to the trips and museum visits I was exposed to at an early age. Next, I spoke about my experience illustrating Tork Angegh. I described what I wrote in my previous blog, « Tork Angegh Book Launch and Exhibition. »

I also told the audience that after posting that blog I got the most interesting comment from Nicole Milette, an artist at Atelier Circulaire. She asked me if I had read Orhan Pamuk’s My Name is Red. Nicole said that my illustrations reminded her of this novel. This is incredible! Not only have I read it. Not only is it one of my all time favorite novels. I was reading it when I was illustrating Tork Angegh. This 417-page story became my companion and source of strength during the sometimes-difficult illustration sessions. My Name is Red is a historical novel about miniaturists in the Ottoman Empire. Events revolve around the murder of one of them, Elegant Effendi. The characters have poetic names such as Kara (black in Turkish), Butterfly, Stork, and Olive. These artists had it hard. Besides one of them getting murdered, many of them suffered eminent or actual blindness from painting such detailed images. Their pain made me realize that I had it good in my little heated studio in my home. These characters gave me strength. So did the shear imaginative power of Pamuk. The author compares illustration to the afterlife. He says that through both people aspire to achieve a sense of eternity. I did not set out to become eternal through my illustrations. All I know is that I am glad that I made them and that they have found a home in the form of a book.

Centre: Varty, Agop, Talleen, surrounded by organizers
Front : Students who read

Talleen Hacikyan

Tork Angegh Book Launch and Exhibition

Tork Angegh
Book launch and exhibition
Tuesday December 16, 8:30 pm
Armenian Community Centre
3401 Olivar Asselin (cross street Dudemaine)

When Agop J. Hacikyan, my father, edited volume III of The Heritage of Armenian Literature (Wayne State University Press, 2005), he only included the first canto of Tork Angegh, in the section devoted to Ghazaros Aghayan (1840-1911), the writer who recorded the story. My father wanted to publish this ancient Armenian folk tale in its entirety, in the form of an illustrated book. The result: Tork Angegh, translated by Agop J. Hacikyan, versified by Edward S. Franchuk, illustrated by Talleen Hacikyan, and published by Gomidas Institute, in London, U.K.

I cherished this occasion to collaborate with my father. The fact that I was illustrating his book, however, made me put extra pressure on myself. I wanted each illustration to be perfect.

I had done some editorial illustration in the past, including two cover pages, one for Montreal Magazine, and one for Revue Liberté. However, this was the first time I illustrated a book.

My first task was to decide on a technique. I wanted the images to have the look of a print. After exploring many possibilities I decided to work on black cardboard. The cover page is in color and the twenty interior illustrations are in black and white. I used acrylic paint, collage, and hand printed stamps and objects. I printed wood blocks used for textile printing. Over the years I have collected these blocks from left and right, east and west. I bought Afghani wood blocks at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, and Indian wood blocks from Granville Island, in Vancouver. I integrated the prints from these blocks into my illustrations. I also had fun printing other materials: I used sliced onion to make waves, crumpled paper to make rocky texture, broccoli for trees, leaves for…leaves! I also collaged textures that I photocopied from my prints.

The next challenge was to develop my two main characters, Tork and Haykanush. Only then was I ready to decide which passages to illustrate and to start sketches of the illustrations--an infinite number of rough drawings that filled an entire sketch book.

One day I was waiting in line at the dollar store and I saw Haykanush! A girl in her twenties was paying for some Bristol board. I observed her profile. Her round face, cat eyes, and gentle smile looked exactly like the features I had developed on paper over the past weeks. Then, to my delight, I heard her speaking Russian with her friend. Granted she wasn’t speaking Armenian but at least she came from that general area of the world and I took that as a sign that my Haykanush was a good interpretation of this fictive character.

Yayo was the in-house, unofficial artistic director for this project. He was as demanding of me as he is on himself. I am truly indebted to his ability to bring out the best in me. Every eyelash, every hand position, each brushstroke passed his inspection, and ultimately my own. No matter how busy he was with his own illustrations he always made time for my numerous consultations with him.

After toiling full time for eight months on this project I have tremendous admiration for illustrators. It is a demanding, exacting profession. So is printmaking, of course, but that comes more naturally to me after all these years of practice.

I will be exhibiting the original illustrations during the book launch. Students of École Arménienne Sourp Hagop will read excerpts from the book in Armenian and I will read the English translation. My father will speak about his translation and the art of translation. The event will be held in English and Armenian. The public is invited to join us. Hope to see you there!

Talleen Hacikyan

Illustrations by Talleen Hacikyan

Expozine Report

Yayo and I did it! Expozine, that is. On November 29 and 30 we stood (and sat) behind our three and a half square foot table, and interacted with the public as they browsed through our books and greeting cards.

I felt like I was on a submarine-- because we made maximum use of every square inch of exhibition space, because the hoards of visitors reminded me of waves, and because the basement of Saint-Enfant Jésus church had that below-sea-level feel to it.

Expozine was an exotic trip. We met outlandish inhabitants. The girl selling knitted hats reminded me of Vermeer’s girl with a pearl earring. She sat, back straight as a cutting board, head draped with a long silk scarf--that changed color a few times a day-- knitting her life away, stoically, silently. There was a Mr. Bean look-alike. At one point, a guy paraded down the aisle, sporting a pink Styrofoam machine gun.

Pablo, Yayo, and Siris

We sat next to Siris. You may have seen his mural in China Town, on Saint-Urbain street. According to Yayo, this well-known comic book artist looks and talks like the characters in his comics. We chatted up a storm in between talking to potential customers. Siris has been on the Montreal comics circuit for a long time, knows everyone. He pointed out the silkscreen artist across from us. “He’s a good salesman. He’s Greek. His father has a store on St. Lawerence.” I studied the guy’s technique. Rule number one seemed to be: never sit down! I admit, he was a naural, making eye contact and easy conversation with everyone. By day two, Yayo picked up a few tricks himself, luring customers with a free greeting card with each purchase, a healthier option than the free cigarette being offered as a promo by Matrix Magazine!

At Expozine you are sure to find items you’ll never see at the Bay or anywhere else. Two tables down from us, Shannon Gerard was selling original gift ideas, perfect stocking stuffers. If Expozine had a competition for the most angelic looking exhibitor, this girl with long hair, the color of red gold, and an ethereal smile would have won. She spent two days crocheting red…you guessed it…vaginas! Shannon was selling little boxes, with the words Four Play printed on it. In the box were four finger puppets: a vagina, a penis, a tongue, and an anus, or if you prefer, « two insies and two outies. » These cute pieces were available in tones ranging from peach to chocolate. She also sold crocheted boobs and, Plushtashes-- mustache pins. She was a hit with the twenty-something female crowd, and with a baby-- probably a breast-feeding baby--who loved squeezing one of the pink boobies on display!

Talleen’s one of a kind artist’s books

Apart from my book, Postcards, I showed ten new one of a kind artist’s books, made with my prints and words cut out from The New York Times Magazine. I also had a selection of collagraph and woodcut print greeting cards.

Talleen’s greeting cards

One guy was selling books of drawings he made at night, in bed, just before sleeping, in total darkness. There was a vegan themed stand, featuring a book called, Get it Ripe. Another woman was promoting a book she wrote on potatoes. There was a girl drawing faces on clementines, and selling them for one dollar, 75 or 50 cents, depending on how cute the buyer was. There were bracelets made of recycled vinyl records, pins galore, figures made out of wire coat hangers, and the list goes on.

Driving home at the end of Expozine, past the Christmas lit homes on Côte-Saint-Catherine street, Yayo and I felt happy to have been a part of this huge celebration of creativity. Visitors were aplenty. The books and crafts were unique. The vegetarian chili with corn bread, which sold for a mere three dollars, was, like Expozine itself, inspiring and yummy.

Talleen Hacikyan

Photo of Talleen by Pablo
Other photos by Talleen

Postscript

It’s been a busy week for me and my artist’s books. On December 3, I read, along with seven other performers, at the Visual Arts Centre Poetry and Prose Reading, organized by Ilona Martonfi. I read from Fragrance For Men and Torso Tale. There’s nothing like reading for a live audience to bring a story to life.

Visual Arts Centre Poetry and Prose Reading