April 18 – May 24, 2026
Although the egg contains all the potential for life, it is known to be fragile and vulnerable. This series of paintings explores a variety of existing wild bird eggs, native to coastal Northern California, by positioning them in a deep space descriptive of a particular bird’s habitat. By floating the egg forms in spatial, cosmological fields, and expanding their relative scale, I transform them into ovoid “planets”; each one becomes a new world described by its unique surface patterns, often resembling strange continental shapes as seen from space.
Chahbazian writes “I’m acknowledging the beauty and power of threatened life forms on planet Earth. For me, as our environment shifts due to climate change, these habitats take on a surreal quality. The rapid evolution and dream-like sensation of this moment in time has become my launching point for art. I aim to celebrate potential life forms contained within these shapes, the potential and fragile life that remains.”
This series consists of oil and encaustic paintings on canvas and wood panels, of varying scales. I often work with the raw wood grain of a panel to suggest trees within the real-world habitat of certain birds – the grain is also a more abstract reference to the texture of planetary movement in space.
Bio
Arminée Chahbazian lives and works immersed in the wilderness of Northern California with a practice spanning drawing, painting, and sculpture. She earned her MFA from Yale University and her BA from Scripps College in Claremont, CA. Her work has been exhibited widely in the Bay Area, most recently at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Seager Gray Gallery, Cornerstone Sonoma, and the Marin Art & Garden Center. Los Angeles area venues include the Brand Library and Art Center, and the Lois Lambert Gallery. Her work has been included in exhibitions throughout the country, including Aqua Art Fair in Miami and the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming.