Andrius Arutiunian (b.1991) is an Armenian-Lithuanian artist and composer based in Paris and The Hague. Arutiunian works with hybrid forms of sound through installations, film, sculpture and performances.
Sonic dissent, alternate modes of political and musical organisation, and playful investigation of esoteric and vernacular histories form Arutiunian’s most recent works. Through aural cosmologies, the use of non-western tunings and musical systems, as well as extensive studies of resonance and speculative instruments, the artist works with sound as a world-ordering method. Using hypnotic and enigmatic forms, Arutiunian’s works often question the complex histories of what is considered to be “in tune”.
Recent solo shows include the 59th Venice Biennale, Pavilion of Armenia, Gharīb (Venice, 2022); Diaphonics at Centrala (Birmingham, 2023), and Incantations at CTM and silent green (Berlin, 2021).
Selected group shows and performances include Le Fresnoy and Centre Pompidou (Tourcoing), M HKA (Antwerp), Stroom (The Hague), Stedelijk (Amsterdam), Survival Kit 13 (Riga), documenta 14 Parliament of Bodies (Kassel), Slavs and Tatars’ Pickle Bar and Radicants (Paris), FACT (Liverpool), Rewire Festival (The Hague), and Contemporary Art Centre (Vilnius).
Selected residencies include DAAD Berlin, Cité Internationale des Arts Paris, EMARE/EMAP Liverpool, Amant Siena, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art Newcastle, and ZKM | Centre for Art and Media Karlsruhe. Trained as a composer, Arutiunian studied music composition and sonology at the Royal Conservatory The Hague.
Solo shows
| 2023 | Medūza, Vilnius |
| Centrala Space, Birmingham, Diaphonics | |
| 2022 | The 59th Venice Biennale, Armenia Pavilion, Gharīb |
| CTM festival and silent green, Berlin, Incantations |
Group exhibitions & performances
| 2023 | Le Fresnoy, Centre Pompidou, Tourcoing, Saodat Ismailova. Double Horizon |
| Slavs and Tatars, Radicants, Paris, Pickle Bar | |
| Stroom, The Hague, Positions: Elsewheres | |
| 2022 | Survival Kit 13, Riga, The Little Bird Must be Caught |
| M HKA, Antwerp, EURASIA − A Landscape of Mutability |
| 2021 | FACT, Liverpool, Unseen Data |
| Rewire festival, The Hague | |
| werkleitz, Halle | |
| BALTIC Contemporary Centre for Art, Newcastle, Opening the Archive | |
2020 | Lucia Festival, Florence |
| Exrotaprint, Berlin (w/ Adapter ensemble) | |
2019 | Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (w/Ensemble Modelo62) |
| Sacrum Profanum Festival | |
| Kablys, Vilnius | |
| MO, Modern Art Museum, Vilnius (w/ Ensemble Synaesthesis) | |
| Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam (w/ Marianna Maruyama) | |
2018 | Centraal Museum, Gaudeamus Muziekweek festival, Utrecht |
| Yaga festival, Lithuania | |
| Korzo, The Hague | |
| Ephémère, Studio Loos, The Hague | |
2017 | documenta 14, Parliament of Bodies (w/ Marianna Maruyama) |
| Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), Vilnius | |
| Melos Ethos festival, Bratislava (w/ Ensemble Synaesthesis) | |
| RAST, Amsterdam | |
| deSingel, Antwerp (w/ Nadar ensemble) | |
| Gallery Nouvelles Images, The Hague (w/ Marianna Maruyama) | |
| Radio Papesse, Florence | |
2016 | MAZE festival, Amsterdam |
| Rewire festival, The Hague | |
| Moments in the Pulse, Hong Kong |
Residencies
| 2023 | DAAD, Berlin |
| Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt | |
| Cité internationale des arts, Paris | |
| 2022 | Rupert, Vilnius |
2021 | FACT, EMARE/EMAP, Liverpool |
| Cité internationale des arts, Paris | |
2020 | Amant, Siena |
2019 | BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead |
| ZKM | Hertz Lab, Karlsruhe | |
2018 | The Deep Splash, Vilnius |
| Quartertone, Yerevan | |
2015 | Conlon Foundation, Utrecht |
2014 | National Cyprus Museum and Slagwerk Den Haag, Nicosia |
Publications
| 2022 | The Book of Gharīb (Pavilion of Armenia and Hallow Ground) |
| 2020 | Four Essays, w/ Raimundas Malašauskas, Marianna Maruyama, Isabelle Sully |
2019 | Portraits & Poets, digital release |
Awards & grants
| 2020 | Talent Development Grant, Stimulerings Fonds, the Netherlands |
| Makersregeling Den Haag, the Netherlands | |
| Stroom, Promise Grant, the Netherlands | |
2018 | Young Artist of 2017, Lithuanian Composer’s Union |
2017 | JCDecaux award (nomination), Lithuania |
Education
| 2010–2016 | BA & MA in Composition; The Royal Conservatoire, The Hague |
Teaching & research
| 2016–ongoing | Sound researcher at the Sedje Hémon Foundation, The Hague |
2016–2021 | Guest tutor at the Master Artistic Research department, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, The Hague |