Sunset 1-4 (2024)
Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Shushanik Karapetyan is a New York based artist. Shushanik's paintings are informed by her work as a gestalt psychotherapist, placing significance on the process and present moment. These four paintings were in the gallery in Julne 2024.
For Shushanik, they ask:
On what part of your life has the sun set?
What new dawn are you waiting for?
Here’s how our neighbors responded:
“The part of my life before I saw these pictures. They are gorgeous.
Will be Waiting for a home where pictures like these are making it cozier.”
“I feel the sun setting on this career and am waiting for a new dawn where a more soul affirming career path makes itself manifest.”
“The part of my life the sun has set is Childhood/Youth . The new dawn I am waiting for is what it means to create a life with a partner.”
“I just finished my masters in social work, so the sun is setting on my time as a student and rising on my new life as an LMSW! Walking past this piece today literally stopped me in my tracks - so striking and beautiful!!!”
“The sun is setting on the time of my life when I’ve felt self-sufficient and ‘in control.’ I no longer feel like it’s time to make things happen; it’s becoming about allowing things to happen. Not checking out or apathy or inaction, but more like cultivating possibilities, not being sure of the results, being open to the wisdom of others.”
“Moving on is sad. I often think nostalgically about the great days I have lived, not to be repeated. I miss the part of my life where I could waste time. When I lived with friends, we would waste an evening together. Maybe we would waste a weekend together. “What a waste!” we would say, of the time that could have been spent doing something. But now, I long to waste time with my friends, again. The sun has set on those fantastic, wasteful days...The fun days were unexpected when they arrived; the precious moments were not planned. These joys are in the past now, but were once to be lived in the future. I’m hopeful for more unexpected moments, more spontaneous memories made indefinitely. I’m eagerly awaiting the dawn of these moments with each day. Who knows when they will arrive? Anticipation, is half the reward.”
“I’m 39, and in one week, I turn 40. The sun is setting on my 30’s, what feels like my younger years, my youth. I’ve never felt concerned about age, until now. How am I 40? How in the world did I get to be this age? How am I middle aged? Where did time go? And up until now, did I spend my time on the right things?
My new dawn is coming very soon and I have a lot to look forward to. I’m so fortunate and excited that I’m pregnant, and very likely a few days after I turn 40, I’ll find myself at the hospital giving birth to a baby boy. My new dawn includes lots of diaper changes, little sleep and lots of love.”
“The sun has set on my pre-pandemic, selfish, 20s self. I want to say “carefree” but I was always too anxious to be carefree. I am waiting for the new dawn of independence when my daughter is older, but I also have no desire to rush her babyhood.”
“My youth. My presence in the present.”
“My sun has set on solo self healing and my new dawn is restorative partnership.”
“The sun is setting on letting my work being the primary source of my social life and satisfaction. I’m waiting for the dawn where I have carved enough space to invite in new things without feeling overwhelmed.”
Shushanik gave away these 4 paintings to four lucky neighbors!
