Vartan Markarian - Horizons of Disappearance (Screening)
he/him
Fri May 29 | de Brakke Grond
What is nature's potential for regeneration in conditions of constant entropic interaction with humans? Horizons of Disappearance (2026), reflects on forests as fragile refuges under threat from war and climate change, navigating the tension of the forest as a space of ecological richness and respite, and potential catastrophe due to large-scale anthropogenic factors such as climate change and war. It is a companion video to the project ‘Disturbed Ground’, a collaboration between Kyiv’s ∄ and CTM Festival that brings together Ukrainian and international artists to create new audiovisual performances that respond to the ecological consequences of war in Ukraine.
Horizons of Disappearance was produced within the framework of Echoes of the Earth, a project by Mariana Berezovska, Mila Kostiana, and alen hast that was supported by ∄ and Goethe-Institut.
About the artist
Tracing the fragile links between ecological and cultural systems, interdisciplinary artist Vartan Markarian constructs spaces where perception encounters the amorphous materiality of techno-landscapes, engaging with memory, transformation, destruction and healing through paintings, installations, immersive VR formats, and digital art. Since the 2014 outbreak of war, Markarian has used a posthumanist lens to examine conflict, migration, and the Anthropocene. Following the full-scale invasion, his work shifted toward recording a reality suspended between loss and persistence. Using photogrammetry to scan scorched remnants in northern Ukraine, he contributed to the award-winning immersive film Fresh Memories: The Look. Currently, Markarian focuses on recovery and digital preservation, scanning burned forests and museums to explore how technology can facilitate both mourning and ecological regeneration.
