Search
Emerging Artists

Raffi Kalenderian

By Galerie editors
Artist sitting on floor in studio with colorful paintings of seated individuals hung on the wall.
Raffi Kalenderian. Photo: Sami Drasin

By depicting people from his everyday life in almost “claustrophobic” environments, Raffi Kalenderian creates a tension between intimacy and formality, depth and on-the-surface aloofness that’s hard to turn away from. “My paintings are generally known for their texture and materiality,” says Kalenderian. “Variation and experimental paint handling are a huge part of the process. Often there is some form of vivacious patterning, in the form of clothes or wood grain or plants, or maybe all three.” With solo exhibitions of his portraiture in California as well as Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and St. Barts, he is making serious waves with the discerning collector crowd.

Personal style: Kalenderian’s most recent solo show, “Memento Vivo,” at Vielmetter Los Angeles, featured paintings of unassuming subjects tucked within a riotous bouquet of vibrant foliage, their forward-facing poses a depiction of strength and perseverance in a setting that toys with scale.

Person lounging on a patterned chair in front of a vibrant, colorful leaf mural.
Raffi Kalenderian, Lauren, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles

Big break: “When I was a college undergrad, my painting professor Roger Herman ran a gallery in Chinatown called Black Dragon Society. He invited me and five others to be in a summer group show. They sold all of my work before the opening and offered me my first solo show. I was 22 and stoked out of my mind.”

Artistic influences: As a student at UCLA, Kalenderian was taught by the celebrated L.A. artist Laura Owens and studied the work of modern masters like David Hockney and Alice Neel. It was in Owens’s class that he first started experimenting with portraiture.

Colorful painting of a man sitting on a bedroom dresser in a vibrant, abstract room with a bright, patterned ceiling.
Raffie Kalenderian, Thed Jewel, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles

Next up: His first New York solo show, at Miles McEnery Gallery in Chelsea, opens in November 2020.

“Raffi Kalenderian’s execution of pattern on pattern and wild, bright-colored leaves is very exciting.”—Beth Rudin DeWoody

A colorful painting of two people sitting on a floral couch in a vibrant, eclectic room with plants and patterned textiles.
Raffi Kalenderian, Rochele and Nick, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2019 Late Fall Issue under the headline “Galerie Emerging Artist Award.” Subscribe to the magazine.