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The past is present to predict the future. This is how one could describe the essence of the 13th International Design Biennale in Saint-Etienne, dedicated to exploring the resources of tomorrow. Yerevan on Wednesday hosted the presentation of Armenia’s participation in this Biennale, where the country will be the guest of honor.
From May 22 to September 22, La Platine – Cité du Design will host the exhibition “Fold and Volume,” exploring how space becomes a resource for creative industries. Curated by Nairi Khachaturian (AHA collective), Jean-François Dinkjian and Eloi Chafai (Normal Studio), the Biennale will offer a new perspective on the interaction of geography, history, and design.
But why exactly did resources become the theme of the Biennale?
Today, when climate reality, the exhaustibility of natural resources, and growing doubts about traditional production methods force humanity to seek new paths, design goes beyond the usual. It becomes a laboratory of meanings, a method of foresight, and a way to transform the world.
“We are talking not only about natural resources, but also about the very concept of ‘resource’ in the context of design. What role does the environment play? How can space become an inspiring source? How does the past shape the future?” the organizers reflect.
In this search, Armenia becomes a special symbol. Deeply rooted in history, it simultaneously has a powerful creative potential striving for the future. Saint-Etienne, France, and Kapan, Armenia, recently became sister cities. It is symbolic that this year Armenia receives a central place in the Biennale, presenting more than 15 contemporary artists, designers, and art structures.
Within the framework of this Biennale, France provides Armenia with 500 square meters of exhibition space. The space will become a platform for demonstrating experiments with form, materials and environment, giving the opportunity to present Armenia not only as a country with a rich history, but also as a center of contemporary design-thinking.
The exhibition "Fold and Volume" is an immersion into the Armenian creative landscape. It explores space as a resource that shapes not only art, but also thinking. "Armenia is a folded mountainous relief, and it is the folds and curves of the landscape that become not only a physical reality, but also a metaphor for design thought," notes Nairi Khachaturyan.
One of the most important blocks of this exhibition is a reference to Armenian modernism. The exposition will feature the work of two iconic figures: Hripsime Simonyan, a designer who stood at the origins of industrial design in Armenia, and Kamo Nigaryan, an artist whose ideas influenced a new generation of creators. The archival materials of their work will create a visual and semantic counterpoint to the contemporary projects of young Armenian designers, proving that tradition and innovation are not opposites, but complementary elements.
“The idea of inviting Armenia to the Biennale arose as something natural,” admits Jean-François Dinkjian, one of the curators.
Saint-Etienne is not only an industrial center of France, but also a city with long-standing ties to the Armenian diaspora. Generations of Armenians have lived and worked there since the 1930s—but in France, almost no one knows what incredible creative potential modern Armenia has.
“The French diaspora often ignores the Soviet period of Armenian art, believing that nothing significant happened after the Middle Ages. We wanted to show that this is not true. That a powerful creative process is taking place in Armenia today, and that creation is the main resource that feeds the future,” says Dinkjian.
That is why this Biennale offers a view of Armenia without stereotypes, through the lens of artists, architects and designers who rethink space, materials and traditions.
The exhibition “Fold and Volume” promises to become a place of dialogue where different generations, artistic movements, and philosophies intersect. Here the past intertwines with the future, and traditions become a catalyst for new meanings. Saint-Etienne opens up space for discoveries—and Armenian designers are ready to fill it.