Shushanik Karapetyan

: Oct. 2016

: 96

(3)

United States

 
 

  • Shushanik Karapetyan is a New York-based artist born in Yerevan, Armenia. Her work has been exhibited at venues such as the National Association of Women Artists, Governors Island, BRIC, LIC Arts Open, Site: Brooklyn Gallery, Atamian Hovsepian Curatorial Practice, Brooklyn Waterfront Artist Coalition, Vital Arts Studios Gallery, and FlatFile Gallery.

    Drawing from her practice as a Gestalt psychotherapist, Shushanik Karapetyan approaches painting with an emphasis on attunement and responsiveness to personal experience and environmental influences. Her process is fluid yet intentional—each piece begins with a structure, whether a landscape or the human form, and evolves organically through spontaneous choices in brushwork, color, texture, and movement. Repetition plays a significant role in her work, whether through pointillist strokes or sweeping marks.

    Shushanik finds inspiration in the shifting hues of sunsets and the vivid tones of flowers encountered on her walks. These impressions weave into her paintings, mirroring her exploration of contrast and balance. A recurring Gestalt theme in her work is the concept of the "contact-boundary"—the space where individuals connect with and separate from others and themselves. Shushanik explores the contact-boundary in her art through color, where some boundaries appear to blur and others maintain a strong contrast. Just as Gestalt therapy integrates different parts into a unified whole, her artistic process embraces duality: structured, hard-edged compositions often give way to fluid, expressive pointillism; dark, introspective works are followed by luminous, airy pieces. 

  • : Becoming a Mother

    : 8 Oct 2025 - 31 Dec 2025

    : Zaruma Gold Coffee, LIC, 11-18 46th Rd, Long Island City, NY 11101

    This community-centered art exhibition explores women’s health, pregnancy, and motherhood through a combination of semi-abstract paintings and intimate, anonymous interviews. Inspired by the artist’s personal journey into motherhood, the collection is divided into three parts: the Menstrual Cycle, Pregnancy, and Motherhood. The exhibition presents these works alongside interview responses from a diverse group of women—including mothers, mothers-to-be, and women who don't have children—highlighting their shared and unique experiences.

    This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

    : Land Sea Sky

    : 11 Jan 2025 - 22 Feb 2025

    : Yant Art Space, 72-50 Austin St 2nd Floor, Forest Hills, NY 11375

    "Land Sea Sky" is a collection of paintings with organic motifs. These paintings grew out of the simple exercise of exploring the different marks a brush can make. Following my curiosity, I noticed that at some point, I was using the filbert brush and making repetitive similar strokes that looked like a school of fish or petals. This experience ultimately evolved into the paintings in this collection, some of which are more structured than others, all of them using some iteration of a repetitive brush stroke that feels meditative in the moment. The choice of colors is sometimes premeditated but more often is made in the moment as I work on a painting. As I paint in this style, I often feel calm and immersed in a flow of colors.Through these works, I invite viewers to find their own sense of calm and connection to nature’s patterns. The interplay of shapes and colors is meant to evoke a meditative experience, encouraging personal reflection.

    : PAINTINGS ON THE SUNNYSIDE

    : 24 Oct 2024 - 10 Nov 2024

    : Vital Arts Studios Gallery, 50-14 Skillman Ave, NY 11377

    Paintings on the sunNYside
    A Solo Show by Shushanik Karapetyan
    Curated by Raluca Anchidin

    Opening reception: THURSDAY, Oct 24, 5-9pm
    On view: Oct 24 - Nov 10, 2024
    Vital Art Studios Gallery, 50-14 Skillman Ave, NY 11377

: Becoming a Mother

: 8 Oct 2025 - 31 Dec 2025

: Zaruma Gold Coffee, LIC, 11-18 46th Rd, Long Island City, NY 11101

This community-centered art exhibition explores women’s health, pregnancy, and motherhood through a combination of semi-abstract paintings and intimate, anonymous interviews. Inspired by the artist’s personal journey into motherhood, the collection is divided into three parts: the Menstrual Cycle, Pregnancy, and Motherhood. The exhibition presents these works alongside interview responses from a diverse group of women—including mothers, mothers-to-be, and women who don't have children—highlighting their shared and unique experiences.

This project is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts.

: Land Sea Sky

: 11 Jan 2025 - 22 Feb 2025

: Yant Art Space, 72-50 Austin St 2nd Floor, Forest Hills, NY 11375

"Land Sea Sky" is a collection of paintings with organic motifs. These paintings grew out of the simple exercise of exploring the different marks a brush can make. Following my curiosity, I noticed that at some point, I was using the filbert brush and making repetitive similar strokes that looked like a school of fish or petals. This experience ultimately evolved into the paintings in this collection, some of which are more structured than others, all of them using some iteration of a repetitive brush stroke that feels meditative in the moment. The choice of colors is sometimes premeditated but more often is made in the moment as I work on a painting. As I paint in this style, I often feel calm and immersed in a flow of colors.Through these works, I invite viewers to find their own sense of calm and connection to nature’s patterns. The interplay of shapes and colors is meant to evoke a meditative experience, encouraging personal reflection.

: PAINTINGS ON THE SUNNYSIDE

: 24 Oct 2024 - 10 Nov 2024

: Vital Arts Studios Gallery, 50-14 Skillman Ave, NY 11377

Paintings on the sunNYside
A Solo Show by Shushanik Karapetyan
Curated by Raluca Anchidin

Opening reception: THURSDAY, Oct 24, 5-9pm
On view: Oct 24 - Nov 10, 2024
Vital Art Studios Gallery, 50-14 Skillman Ave, NY 11377

 

Shushanik Karapetyan is a New York-based artist born in Yerevan, Armenia. Her work has been exhibited at venues such as the National Association of Women Artists, Governors Island, BRIC, LIC Arts Open, Site: Brooklyn Gallery, Atamian Hovsepian Curatorial Practice, Brooklyn Waterfront Artist Coalition, Vital Arts Studios Gallery, and FlatFile Gallery.

Drawing from her practice as a Gestalt psychotherapist, Shushanik Karapetyan approaches painting with an emphasis on attunement and responsiveness to personal experience and environmental influences. Her process is fluid yet intentional—each piece begins with a structure, whether a landscape or the human form, and evolves organically through spontaneous choices in brushwork, color, texture, and movement. Repetition plays a significant role in her work, whether through pointillist strokes or sweeping marks.

Shushanik finds inspiration in the shifting hues of sunsets and the vivid tones of flowers encountered on her walks. These impressions weave into her paintings, mirroring her exploration of contrast and balance. A recurring Gestalt theme in her work is the concept of the "contact-boundary"—the space where individuals connect with and separate from others and themselves. Shushanik explores the contact-boundary in her art through color, where some boundaries appear to blur and others maintain a strong contrast. Just as Gestalt therapy integrates different parts into a unified whole, her artistic process embraces duality: structured, hard-edged compositions often give way to fluid, expressive pointillism; dark, introspective works are followed by luminous, airy pieces.