Born in Lyon in 1969, he lives between Paris and central France. Melik Ohanian’s work can be understood in terms of physical and conceptual territories, with the notion of time at its core. Informed by research, scientific methods and philosophy, his work develops across a variety of media. The installations question the modes of representation of the exhibition and go beyond the usual frameworks of the image in its spatial and temporal dimensions. Placing the visitor in a state of exploration, the artist reveals the complexity of the gaps that, in more or less obvious ways, govern our relationships with the world and with others.

The artist’s work questions the means, media and allegorical power of images by constantly returning to several themes: desert areas, the working class, the end of revolutionary utopias, and social, political, historical and scientific events.

Melik Ohanian has received several awards, including the Golden Lion for Best National Pavilion of the Republic of Armenia, a group exhibition at the 56th Venice Biennale (2015), the Marcel Duchamp Prize, Paris (2015), and the Visarte Prize, Zurich (2019). He was the eighth artist invited to the Pinault Collection Residency in Lens in 2021/2022.

The artist’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions at international museums such as the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (2016), CRAC Languedoc-Roussillon, Sète (2014), Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Salt Lake City (2013), Matucana 100, Santiago (2008), CCA Kitakyushu (2003, 2007), South London Gallery (2006), De Appel, Amsterdam (2006), IAC, Villeurbanne (2006), and Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2002).

He has participated in numerous biennials: Venice Biennale (2007, 2015), São Paulo Biennial (2004), Sydney Biennale (2004, 2016), Gwangju Biennale (2006, 2018), Lyon Biennale (2005, 2017), Sharjah Biennale (2011), Berlin Biennale (2004), Seville Biennale (2006).