Paris-based sculptor Khachik Gazantchian is a person with a very interesting destiny. He has never been in Armenia, despite the fact that he is Armenian. He has lived in Lebanon, Turkey, France, and Italy, and the colors and technique of each country are applied in his sculptures. He was raised and educated with high respect towards the gifts of nature to man. Gazantchyan worked in the renowned Louvre museum of Paris for three years. He was one of few experts trusted with the restoration of the treasures of Louvre. He was the only Armenian expert who was restoring the ancient and contemporary sculptures of Louvre. Currently, the Armenian sculptor teaches at the “School for Students” Armenian school in Paris, and in different European universities introduces the youth to the principles of sculpting. Khachik is also participating in the restoration of the porcelain museum of Sevr.
Khachik Gazantchyan became famous in Armenia thanks to the completion of a request from the Vatican. In 2005, his sculpture of Saint Gregory the Illuminator was installed there.
– How did you start your career as a sculptor?
– When I was a child, we learned how to work with clay and mud in Beirut, at the Mkhitaryan School. The dirt (terracotta in Italian) plays an important role in Italy. It is very important for children to work with clay and mud, to see how natural mud dries, and how to style and keep that style before the drying and crumbling of the mud. This teaches the youth to pay attention to his or her conduct and be responsible for whatever he or she does.
– I think that that sense of responsibility starts in the family.
– I consider the family to be the most important thing, because, as something like providence, it determines the future of the child. My parents did everything so that I would be able to do what I love. My father was a painter and knew very well how important it is for a child to follow his own destiny, even if he faces hardships along the way. In 1966 I moved to France and was able to further my education with aid granted by the French government. Europe is full of artists; it reminds one of an open book where every person, and everything, has its place. All that you see in, let’s say, the Louvre, is a small part of all that is preserved in the basements of the Louvre building.
– Was it easy to advance in Paris? Can we say that it is possible to earn a living by art?
– I can say the following: we don’t live only by art; we live by sculpting. Of course, there are sculptures that are not art (sculptures done only because somebody ordered them). For example, I have made a lot of effort to convince the Armenian people to turn their gravestones into cross-stones (khachkars). Many people didn’t even know anything about cross-stones, in fact, not only in France, but also in Communist Armenia. I used to prepare small cross-stones and told about their significance. The cross-stones themselves could not tell about their richness and symbols. The symbols of the cross-stones are openly displayed on the stones; you just have to be able to read and understand.
– The cross-stones can be compared to our coded history. Do you consider it possible to produce an interesting and, in some sense, unexpected book or film based on the secrets of the cross-stones?
– Indeed, the symbols of the cross-stones are codes, and many of the roots of the cross-stones trace back to the East [China]. Very few Armenians know about that. When I tell Europeans about that, they stare at me in awe. Of course, there are many connections that we don’t know about. The story of the preparation of porcelain is connected to Armenians as well. That, indeed, can be presented in a very interesting way. The modes of construction of churches are also full of secrets and keys. If you put one stone, or key, incorrectly, then the whole thing will collapse. Many of those keys are incomprehensible. But that’s fine; the important thing is to preserve them. When I see photographs of grass growing on the dome and in the gaps in the walls of the Armenian churches, I think to myself that the churches will soon collapse, because grass is like bacteria which disturbs the balance of the rocks. You can present these churches any way you want, but after taking care of them.
– Tell us about your sculpture installed in the Vatican.
– I received the order from Pope John Paul the Second of Rome. He visited Armenia in 2001 on the occasion of celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the declaration of Christianity in Armenia. He said that they couldn’t celebrate the occasion without the relics of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. They brought the relics from the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church, located in the Italian city of Naples, and a new temple was blessed in Yerevan. John Paul II was Polish by nationality, and knew the history of the Armenian people well, as there was a large Armenian community in Poland. He took the initiative of the installation of the sculpture. There was an order made to plan a statue, and they invited me to participate. I sent my plan of the sculpture. My image of Gregory the Illuminator was portrayed as a barefoot anchorite, because he had spent the last years of his life in asceticism. But the contest panel told me that they wanted to see the Illuminator wearing an elegant church vestment of the times of King Trdat. I changed my sculpture, and it was decided to install it in the Vatican. I thought the news of the sculpture hadn’t reached Armenia. I’ve never been in Armenia.
– Why don’t you want to come to Armenia?
– I really want to, but not as a tourist. I want to present my works, however, I haven’t received any invitations from Armenia.
– Do you feel that the more time passes by, the more the abyss between Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora deepens? After a while, the Armenians of the Diaspora will completely assimilate in the countries of their residence. Many Armenians already don’t know Armenian. Is that a natural phenomenon?
– The Diaspora is different. There are countries where there are no Armenian schools or they require a lot of money and Armenian parents are not able to send their children to Armenian schools. For example, in France, Armenian schools are free of charge, and that is why Armenians preserve their nationality. It is worth worrying about the abyss between Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. That should be a cause for concern on both sides. I have tried to establish ties with Armenia several times; I have sent letters to different organizations to receive certain information, but I have not received any reply. Is that really my fault? How can I preserve my nationality and spread information about Armenians in Europe if Armenia is not helping me? I know many young people who want to establish ties with their historical homeland.
– We are only a 15-year independent country. We have to create those ties again.
– I know that. I also know that the most important thing is to start. It is also hard for me to trace back my Armenian roots. My parents don’t speak Armenian because they were born in Turkey and only speak Turkish. But I did everything so that I could speak Armenian fluently and not be cut off from Armenian history. Do you know that it is generally impossible to literally describe the feeling of the flow of history? You either feel it, or you don’t. If you do have that feeling, then you most definitely feel proud of that.
– Will the Year of Armenia held in France help French-Armenians find that pride again?
– There are many Armenians who are far from being Armenian; they have changed their names and present themselves as French. That is much easier for many, as they are working on not doing anything for Armenia and not remembering their roots. Of course, that is when you lose the Armenian culture. We must always recall and introduce if we want to keep the Armenians of the Diaspora. Culture and art is the strongest and most beautiful language by which you can speak and keep that tie.