On January 25, 2022, Henrik Igityan National Center for Aesthetics launched the Painted Equator Armenia exhibition to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Armenia.

AraratBank stood next to this important project: the financial assistance provided by the Bank enabled publication of the exhibition catalogue. The Painted Equator Armenia catalogue features the paintings displayed in the exhibition, which are to be hosted in the Painted Equator Gallery in Bratislava. Several copies will be handed over to diplomatic corps and artists as well as sent abroad.

As a universal tool for gaining insight and developing rapprochement between people of different cultures, the Painted Equator Armenia project seeks to unite all nations and peoples through painting on small canvases (20x20 cm) with the view to collecting 40,075 pictures from across the world equivalent to 40,075 kilometers of the Earth’s equator and bring them together under one roof.

The author of the Painted Equator Armenia global curatorial project is Andrey Smolak, member of Moscow International Academy of Culture and Art, laureate of the Franz Kafka European Prize (1998), European Union of Arts Prize (2002), Salvador Dali World Prize, author of a number of art festivals.

The Painted Equator Armenia project, initiated for the benefit of Armenian artists, came to life thanks to efforts of an artist, designer, coordinator of art exhibitions, member of the Artists’ Union of Armenia, head of Tavoush branch of the Artists’ Union of Armenia Armine Tumanyan.

The event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps of different countries, representatives of AraratBank and artists. H.E. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic Miroslav Hacek and the local project representative Armine Tumanyan gave a welcoming speech to open the event.

To browse through the Painted Equator Armenia catalogue, please click the link․