ABOUT NATHALIE
NATHALIE KARDJIAN is a Bay Area based Armenian-Syrian artist from Homs, and Aleppo, where she earned a degree in Fine Art. She was a lecturer at Aleppo Art University for two years. A mixed-media artist, her work includes paint, illustration, photography and filmmaking.
Against the escalating Syrian crisis, Kardjian co-founded the “Art Camping” initiative with Le Pont Gallery in Aleppo. The campaign focused on the development of contemporary art within the city of Aleppo. The project facilitated the production of installation and street art, photography, modern architecture and graphic design, as well as painting and video art.
Kardjian’s work, which had been presented in galleries across the Middle East and Europe, reflects the daily experience of women and children across Syria. In 2013, Kardjian went to Lebanon to work with humanitarian organizations providing art therapy in camps for refugee children.
That year, her first documentary, “Two Weeks in Homs,” showcased the events surrounding her uncle’s death, capturing the shifting tides of Syria’s politics as the nation erupted into crisis. The film was shown in the UK.
Facing increasing political pressure in her home country and much of her work confiscated or destroyed, Kardjian came to the Bay Area in 2014 to continue creating films, documentaries and art works.