Danielle Andrea Krikorian

Thesis title:

Patterns of Trauma: Lebanese Women Artists and the Aesthetics of Abstraction in times of War

Krikorian’s PhD thesis (M4C/AHRC funded Doctoral Research) focuses on trauma theory, gender dynamics, postcolonial theory, and Islamic art in the works of Lebanese women artists during the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s. Delving into themes of memory and identity, the research examines their work through the lens of testimony and remembrance and how they expressed visually expressed their lived-in experience of war.

Research Area

Art History
Visual Arts

Publications

'Shaping Space. Morphologies and transitions in the Umayyad madīna ‘Anjar.' DAr Journal 2, Le città del mondo islamico (Aug-2022): 51-61.

'Caesura A Moment In Time إنقـــطاع.' Again Rubbed Smooth. American University of Beirut (2018). https://www.againrubbedsmooth.org/a-moment-in-time

'The Power of Intimacy & غزل.' Face the White Cube. American University of Beirut (2018). https://www.aub.edu.lb/art_galleries/Documents/2.pdf

Conferences

Nov 23 Holocaust, Genocide and Memory Studies at the University of Illinois (USA) | Research presenter at the Race, Migration, Memory Symposium

Oct 23 University of Manchester and Whitworth Gallery | Research presenter at the Understanding Displacement in Visual Art and Cultural History: 1945 to Now

Aug 23 Queen's University Belfast | Research presenter at the European Association for Archaeologists 2023 (remotely)

May 23 University of Birmingham | Research Presenter in CAHA Postgraduate Conference 2023 – Culture Power and Identity

May 23 University of Birmingham | Co-organiser in Fourth Annual LCAHM Conference 2023: in collaboration with IGES

Apr 23 University College London | Research Presenter in Association For Art History Annual Conference 2023

Sep 22 University of Cambridge | Research Presenter in Fifth CASA Conference 2022: Crisis and Resilience | Cambridge

May 22 University of Birmingham | Research Presenter in Third Annual LCAHM Conference 2022: Word, Music, Image - Crisis and Repair

Public Engagement & Impact

Professional Public Engagement:
- Worked part-time as a PGR student ambassador (2022-ongoing) for the University of Birmingham: Provided support to students. This year, introduced and worked (alongside Dr. Sözen) with History of Art prospective students on an art history excercise for the Shiva Nataraga statue at the Barber Institute of Art (Open Days)
- Museum of Islamic Arts Foundation | Freelance Project Worker on Arab Oral History Project | Birmingham
Volunteer Public Engagement:
- Took part in the College of Arts and Law Graduate School induction as a speaker in the ‘dialogue with a current student’ with Dr. Klaus Richter (University of Birmingham) (September 2023)
- Took part in the LCAHM Postgraduate Induction as a student speaker (September 2023)

Community Engagement:
- Gave a talk on my research to a non-academic audience for the ‘Islam and Art’ Event in response to an exhibition ‘Start the Press!’ at IKON Gallery in April 2024. This is a Culture Forward Initiative titled ‘Qur’an in the city’ in collaboration with the Museum of Islamic Art and IKON Gallery.
- Worked as workshop lead (gave a workshop) on Islam, Kufic Calligraphy, and Printmaking in which I gave a historical overview of calligraphy and taught (hands-on) how to produce prints of Kufic Calligraphy to students at the King Edward’s School in May 2024 for the event Islam & Art Event. This is a Culture Forward Initiative titled ‘Qur’an in the city’ in collaboration with the Museum of Islamic Art and IKON Gallery.

Other Research Interests

As an early-career artist and/or art practitioner, Krikorian engages and researches the visualisation of trauma, memory and heritage of Lebanon and the Middle East. One aspect of this is the exploration of the relationship between light, ink, colour, and its creation of intimacy between the viewer and the image. Another aspect is the relationship between narrative and aesthetics and how to convey an experience and/or a memory at the intersection of conflict, and cultural legacy.

Exhibition history:

Aug-Sep 21 P21 Gallery | Exhibiting Artist | London

Sep 18 Beirut Art Fair | Exhibiting Artist | Beirut

May-Sep 18 American University of Beirut| Exhibiting Artist and Curator| Beirut

Dec 17-Mar 20 CUB Gallery | Exhibiting Artist | Beirut

May-Sep 17 American University of Beirut | Exhibiting Artist | Beirut

Memberships

Association for Art History

European Association of Archaeologists

Awards and Prizes

Received Best Presentation Award at the University of Cambridge's Fifth CASA Conference 2022

Dean's Honour's List at the American University (2014-2018)

Research Grants and Funding

M4C Research Development Fund (RDF): for the biannual exhibition (event) 'Venice Biennale' (Venice, Italy), and archival work at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana (Milan, Italy). This year’s theme ‘Foreigners Everywhere’ deals with art born from migration and exchange. It hosts many Lebanese and Arab artists that are relevant to my research, such as Etel Adnan and Saloua Raouda Choucair (artistic research work on their art). Alongside this, I am conducting archival work on Islamic art at the Bibliotheca Ambrosiana.

M4C Research Development Fund (RDF): Fieldwork in Chicago (USA, Illinois) and presented at the symposium Race Migration and Memory symposium by the Holocaust, Genocide and Memory Studies (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) in which I presented a lightening talk paper.

Teaching

Worked as a Teaching Associate in the History of Art Department at the University of Birmingham on the undergraduate module: ‘Historical Concepts’ as the semimar lead (Autumn 2023) and marked 50% of the take-home exam papers.
Worked as a Teaching Associate in the History of Art Department at the University of Birmingham on the undergraduate module: '20 Objects' as a lecturer (Spring 2024) and marked 50% of the take-home papers.
Wroked as a Guest Lecturer (2023-2024) in the History of Art Department at the University of Birmingham.