| Prev | Armenian Reporter, May 26, 2001 | Next |
 |
| Boxer on the
Canvas: Gregory | ||
| Orduyan's Show Opens Today |
| NEW
YORK, NY - One-time Armenian golden gloves champ-tumed-painter Gregory Orduyan will open his show of Oils and Acrylics, which consists of 10 works on canvas, on May 26 The show will run until June 30 at the Crosby Painting Studio, 31 Crosby Street, here in SoHo. Even in the long and quirky history of art, Gregory Orduyan's pedigree is unusual. When Orduyan was 16 years old, he was living in Moscow and winning amateur boxing titles that seemed destined to lead him to Olympic gold. But painting won out over pugilism, and after Orduyan, now 30, emigrated to America, he began devoting himself to the creation of mus- cular figurative forms that have led to increasing recognition through shows from New York to California, and even Chechnya. Not that Orduyan has abandoned the "sweet science" in his quest for beauty. The 6-foot 3-inch heavyweight regularly works out at the Gladiators Training Academy near his San 'Francisco home, and, in fact, he finds his two vocations comple- ment each other. "There's this stereotype that all artists are a bunch of sis- sies," says Orduyan. "When people see my work, they can't believe how masculine it is, how much energy is there. And when I'm at the gym, if I tell someone I'm an artist, they can't believe it." Orduyan uses his energy to design computer games for KONAMI Computer Entertainment. He "has distinguished himself as a leading designer in the field of computer graphic arts," said Masahiro. Ueno, vice-president of KONAMI, the computer games giant and a fan of Orduyan's work. A love of cityscapes led Orduyan to complete a series of views of the streets of New York, and these paintings will be on display in his current show. Orduyan's prior New York shows included: ASA Artists' Ball, Puck Building; 12 Chairs Gal- lery, Gallery 33; Spring Studio Anniversary exhibitions, and the Mix Co. Gallery. An exhibition of Orduyan's charcoal life drawings is also currently on display at Spring Studio in SoHo through June 30. There will be an opening reception at Crosby Painting Stu- dio, located at 33 Crosby Street, on Saturday, May 26, from 5-8 pm. Gallery hours are 4-6 p.m., Tuesday through Thurs- day, or by appointment. His other one-man show in SoHo, NY currently continues at Spring Studio, 64 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012. |