HAIK KOCHARIAN - Isild Le Besco: the Early Years

Nov 15-
Dec 24, 2006

The Robin Rice Gallery announces a solo exhibition of photography by Haik Kocharian. The opening reception will be held on Wednesday November 15th, 2006 from 5.30 to 8.30pm. The show will run through December 24th, 2006.

In the debut of the series “Isild Le Besco: the Early Years”, fans of French film will be especially captivated by Kocharian’s images which amplify the radiance and mercurial energy of the gifted French actress Isild Le Besco.

With a background in acting and film directing, Kocharian has a photographic style rooted in the traditions of French cinema. Evoking cinematic stills from a Kieslowski film, several of Kocharian’s color images display natural light transformed into subtle washes of reds or yellows or greens which skillfully intensify the rich inner world of Ms. Le Besco in a range of ways from magnifying her sensuality to revealing her modesty.

Inspired by Cartier-Bresson, Kocharian’s black and white images reveal a finely-honed talent for expressing the essence of a singular moment using only real environments and available light. This is evident in the invitational image, a gracefully layered composition in which we see through the soaring energy of the birds to the sublime yet reserved Ms. LeBesco.

Born in Armenia, Haik Kocharian has lived in New York City since 1996. With both parents involved in film and theater, he naturally gravitated to the Armenian Theater Academy where he graduated in 1996. Kocharian pursued film directing at Brooklyn College where he eventually shifted the focus of his studies to photography ultimately creating a unique photojournalistic style that combines all of these influences. Kocharian has acted in 2 French films, has produced 6 short films and continues to pursue projects in both film and fine art photography. Kocharian was awarded second place by Positive Focus and was a finalist in the Smithsonian Performers competition. This is his first solo show at the Robin Rice Gallery.