Mekhitar Garabedian - new PLAKT-poster on the facade of De Garage

Mekhitar Garabedian was born in Aleppo to an Armenian family who fled the Armenian genocide. As a child he moved with his parents to Belgium. He reflects on his experience as an immigrant through different media such as drawings, video, photography and installation.

‘Alep (Bronze Lamp)’ shows a Syrian stamp with a bronze lamp in the shape of a horse. The stamp has been printed with the words ‘par avion’ and the date ’27.07.1981’, the year Garabedian migrated to Belgium. By inversing the colours of the original poststamp, the image becomes harder to grasp like a memory fading over time.

As a poster in public space the work leaves a fragmented trace of a past that’s at the same time close and out of reach. It reminds us how stories about migration and identity often remain invisible, but deeply influence how we view the world and each other.

With PLAKT, Kunsthal Mechelen and Artlead bring contemporary art into the public space. By inviting artists to create posters for the facades of art organizations, the city itself becomes a place for encounter, reflection, and imagination.