This series of works on paper entitled Tattoo Trails I, explores my interest in identity, destiny and memory. What drives and motivates us?  How do we endure the most challenging of situations? Is our life pre-determined or do our actions determine the direction that our lives take? These pieces are meant to stimulate us to examine our own personal histories and to recognize how our narratives are etched(carried) within us.

Tattoo Trails I, is inspired by a photograph of Bliz-aard Ball Sale (1983)- a piece performed by David Hammons in Cooper Square, New York.  Hammons, a conceptual artist, deals with issues of racial and economic discrimination. In his performance piece, Hammons reflects on black culture.  He comments on the plight of the street peddler as he sells his wares in the harsh streets of the city.  He captures our attention by highlighting the precarious working conditions of the disenfranchised.
 
As an artist of Armenian descent, Hammons commentary on issues of identity and discrimination resonates with me. His message is a global one as many of us have endured racial and economic strife. His works led me to consider my own collective history and how Armenians experienced similar discrimination under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
 
The issue of fate is a universal question but touches me rather personally.  As an individual of Armenian descent, my paternal grandmother, Aghavni Der Marderosian, recounted stories of her narrow escape from the Turks during the Armenian Genocide. Her writings documented the family history and the numbers of those lost in the massacres. Her accounts have stayed with me and I have felt a responsibility to tell her story.  On my maternal side there were no stories shared of the Genocide; just a strong silence. Perhaps it was too painful to talk about and yet the suffering from their life-altering experiences clearly remained indelibly within them.
 
We have a responsibility to consider why our lives move in certain directions and paths.  I ask the viewers to examine the journeys they are travelling and the internal tattoos they may carry.