The exhibition of the Armenian National Pavilion is marked with the project Seven Deadly Sins by Nina Khemchyan: a monumental 50-meter paper roll artwork with a modern iconographic illustration of human sins. It is divided into seven distinct parts, each representing one of the sins: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and Lust. The choice of black ink on white paper not only provides a stark, graphic quality but also symbolizes the polarity of morality and immorality inherent in the concept of sins. Each episode is rich in symbolism and detailed imagery, crafted with graphic, grotesque visuals that are both captivating and thought-provoking.

The first gallery of the pavilion is both the beginning and, at the same time, the end of the visitor’s unique journey. The Echo begins and ends along this serpentine path of sins. This section is the closest to humanity, the most earthly, and the most perceptible, both conceptually and visually. Each 7 meters of the 50-meter paper is filled with “illustrations” of fundamental human flaws, where the images transform into narratives—literal visual texts—in contrast to the immediately following section of the National Pavilion, not only in terms of media (paper vs. clay) but also conceptually, as texts are transformed into images. The Seven Deadly Sins also make the subsequent galleries and the exhibition’s conclusion more unexpected and mystical, centered around the axis of Mashtotsian chants of repentance and the concept of eternity.

This central component of the National Pavilion comprises eleven blue ceramic spheres, sculptures in clay. Each of these spheres is adorned with golden incrustations, representing a specific selection of Armenian sharakans, eleven chants of repentance, written by Mesrop Mashtots (4-5th century AD). He was the inventor of the Armenian alphabet, philosopher, theologian, priest, and poet. Mashtots is a fundamental figure in the history and culture of his country: a spiritual leader, founder of Armenian sacred music, and a true enlightener.

For a long time, Nina Khemchyan has been immersed in Mashtots’work. Eventually, a unique encounter renewed the artist’s vision: the enigmatic voice of the singer Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan who had been performing Mashtots’ sharakans, written in the 5th century. This discovery gave birth to the project Echo, which also became the title of the exhibition of the Armenian National Pavilion; a delicate and contemporary interpretation of an essential piece of Armenian identity that went beyond the borders of Armenian culture.

This physical installation is supplemented by an a capella performance of the hymns by Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan: an artistic fusion
of physical sculpture and music, blending the tangible and auditory to represent Armenian sacred music in a new and evocative way. The words,
specifically the letters forming these words transforming into chants, become significant elements in these pieces. Words translate into visual
codes, creating a meditative environment: words are Armenian, the ideas are of cosmic proportions. Mashtots’ legacy is built around universal
ideas and values that touches every soul.

These two projects, Seven Deadly Sins and Echo, enhance and intensify each other, intertwining the themes of human sinfulness with the quest for spiritual redemption, which is essential and vital nowadays. In one case, sins are depicted as visual texts filled with imagery, whereas in the other, Mashtots’ literal text (the sharakans) are transformed into visual codes on the spheres. This interplay leads to a profound narrative where visual codes and textual elements enrich each other’s meaning. The whole exhibition turns into intersemiotic concept where images are translated into texts and vice versa.

However, the exhibition doesn’t leave viewers with the idea of sins and redemption only. It gives a space for contemplation, where they can witness themselves in solitude. One should pave a way through the serpentine of sins to enter the space of meditative self-reflection and forgiveness, resonating in medieval spiritual hymns, and finally culminating in a profound connection with the essence of all existence. This path mirrors a deep spiritual trilogy between the Earth and the Heaven, uniting self, universe, and essence, guiding toward profound insight. The golden sphere rises as a symbol of purity, light and eternity: PERFECTION.