(de)forestation is a series by Guévørk Aivazian of large-scale oil paintings depicting forest areas across the globe that are disappearing or no longer exist, directly or indirectly caused by human industrial activity. 

Aivazian uses a range of different techniques, with references going from mediaeval paintings to abstract expressionism. He builds his paintings up, layer by layer, and approaches the painting process as akin to sculptural work. Aivazian prepares the canvases meticulously with his own primer for each work. He paints on both sides of the canvas to create layeredness and effects of transparency. 

(de)forestation started in 2020 as a personal return to nature for Aivazian. A return to the artist’s childhood memories of the forests in Belarus, where he spent several years in the countryside. Over time, (de)forestation evolved into an exploration of the interrelation between the medium of painting and memory. These works reflect the shift between direct experience and recollection. Simultaneously, they interweave distance, closeness, memory, and the present moment and become tangible evidence of fluid events. According to Aivazian, a painting, through its materiality, has the potential to hold resonances and echoes of various pasts for both the viewer and the maker.

Aivazian is increasingly interested in “geographical metaphors” and notions of place. He envisions canvases as layered locations filled with human/nature histories and memories, where past, present, and future meet. The concept of a geographical metaphor refers to the way he thinks about and represents places in his paintings; it involves viewing the canvas as a map or a landscape that can be both explored and experienced. This approach allows him to layer different elements, creating a rich and multidimensional reflection of a place.

The deep connection that Aivazian has with nature is palpable in his paintings. They invite viewers on a contemplative and melancholic journey that moves from the energetic brushstrokes of vibrant greenery to dark, menacing shadows, to rustling leaves in the wind, to light reflections on the running water. 

For Aivazian, painting serves not only as a medium to preserve memories of concrete places but also to capture sensory impressions. In his work, light and movement are at the heart of his pictorial exploration. He creates a vivid, immersive experience for the viewer that goes beyond a simple visual representation of forests.

Aivazian invites us to question our relation to nature, to be conscientious of the past, present, and future, and above all to grow and cultivate our dialogue with nature, always in a poetic way.

Yasmine Baroudi