Vahakn Arslanian

Untitled, 2009, oil on canvas, courtesy of the artist

interview by JADE BERREAU 

 

Vahakn arslanian and I spent a good part of our childhoods together. When we were children Vahakn would have violent outbursts almost every day. He would often hurt one or both of us, or break something, and he would always end up in a state of overwhelming frustration. He wasn’t able to communicate normally. At the age of four he was diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. He’s 50 % deaf in one ear and 80 % deaf in the other. His violence was a result of a deep desire to express what he needed. Searching for a way to communicate meant looking beyond his voice. At the age of five he learned sign language and discovered the nourishing quality of art. Over the next 20 years, through his…