GLENDALE — Armenian Arts Gallery presented an art exhibition by Seta Injeyan, titled “Portraits of Nations: Songs in Color and Struggle,” from May 7 to 10, with an opening reception on Friday, May 8.
Gallery owner Stepan Partamian welcomed the audience.
Injeyan is a Los Angeles-based artist whose abstracts invite viewers to move beyond headlines and stereotypes, and to encounter nations as living presences shaped by struggle, history and aspirations. The exhibition included works inspired by countries across different regions of the world, offering a visual language of humanity that is both personal and universal. Rather than directly illustrating geography or politics, the works evoked the emotional, historical and spiritual character of each country.
Injeyan said, “I pay attention to rhythm and energy in my paintings. For ‘Portraits of Nations’, I began with the colors of a nation’s flag, but I did not paint them literally. I wanted to reach the emotional life of a country: its beauty, wounds, history, struggles, and spirit.” She added, “Each painting is an abstract portrait of a nation, and not a political statement. Together, these works speak to memory, identity, conflict, resilience and hope.”
Injeyan explained how, over the decades, her practice has evolved through diverse series: early experimental works with transparency and film, the “Organic Flows” paintings inspired by the human body and nature, and the “Road Works” series exploring geography, energy and movement.
In recent years, Injeyan has expanded into curatorial roles, such as curating “Echoes of the Unconscious” for the TAG Gallery and serving as juror for the San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center, enriching her dialogue with other artists and communities.
