The ghoulish and satirical art of Michael Mararian
by Sarene
Yacoubian
Michael Mararian’s ink renderings, most
recently featured at the Corey Helford
Gallery in Culver City, California, are
anything but ordinary. You won’t find
among them idyllic scenes of nature or
pleasant portraits of contented individuals. But while at first glance his images
appear to be unsettling and borderline
cruel, soon the viewer finds in them
strangely heartening undercurrents of
humor, sarcasm, and biting social commentary.
Morbid yet comical images of children are the works that have earned
Mararian his acclaim. He has an elegant penchant for taking portraits of
children – who are normally depicted
as being cheerful and full of life – and
distorting them into disturbingly witty
depictions.
Mararian was born in Massachusetts
to an Armenian father and an Italian
mother. “I was always an artist, even as
a kid,” he says. However, becoming an
artist was a “late-in-life career” for him,
as initially he dreamed of making it as a
playwright.
With the lure of New York as a theatrical Mecca, Mararian moved to the Big
Apple to pursue a career as a children’s
playwright. In the subsequent years,
during which he wrote plays, Mararian
never stopped dabbling in art. There
was always a sketchbook within reach,
and he would illustrate many of the programs for his plays.
Although Mararian loved being a playwright, the art world gradually drew
him in for good. When asked about the
transition from playwright to artist, he
chuckles and says, “I should have stuck
with my first instinct.”
Mararian describes the transition as
“a seamless crossover,” given the fact
that his experience as a children’s playwright helped add an important dimension to his eventual focus on fine art,
he says. During the s,
he began to collect art
and increasingly admired the works
of Edward Gorey,
Lewis
Carroll, and
Norman
Rockwell.
Mararian’s humble beginnings as a
practicing artist
took shape
on
eBay,
through
which he sold
small paintings,
art cards, and other
works. Soon enough, his
C
exposure on the site led to considerable
popularity and critical acclaim.
To date, Mararian has exhibited his
works in a string of prestigious venues including the Corey Helford Gallery and Thinkspace Gallery in Los
Angeles, Galerie D’Art Yves Laroche
in Montreal, and McCaig-Welles Gallery in New York City. “Most of the
time, it was just pure chance,” he says
about his exhibitions. He would send
an e-mail to a given gallery, attaching photos of his work, and
more often than not
he would receive
an enthusiastic
response.
E a c h
Mararian
piece is
drawn
using a
variety
of inks.
The artist then
g o e s
on
to
brush and
scratch the
work to create
a coarse texture.
He also weaves in
smudges and smears
Above: Cleisiophobia
by Michael Mararian.
Left: Michael
Mararian. Far left
bottom: Otto and
Sophia.
of ink to achieve the signature atmospherics of his compositions. The children are drawn to look like paper dolls,
evoking the Victorian age and symbolizing a certain loss of innocence as a
consequence of the modern era’s corrupting effect on the human spirit.
Mararian’s works are part of a master
series titled “M. Mararian’s Inky Dreadfuls” – a name which, the artist explains,
Armenian Reporter Arts & Culture September , 
Fabian's Tantrum.
is evocative of writer and artist Edward
Gorey’s macabre illustrated books.
The “Inky Dreadfuls” depict children
in ghastly and wicked scenarios. “I am
rian says. But he is quick to add that
juxtaposing images of kind, otherwise
normal children with cruel happenAbove: IIIyngophobia.
ings allows him to “create humorous
Left above:
vignettes” which ultimately make
Pupaphobia. Left:
powerful statements about the prevaMechanaphobia.
lence of fear, injustice, and alienation
in modern life.
continually fascinated by the power
What does Mararian have in store for
of children – the simple way they per- us next? “I’m examining iconic images
meate our core – and the reactions of the s,” he says, referring to his inthey generate from viewers,” Mara- terest in subjecting the idyllic image of
Armenian Reporter Arts & Culture September , 
the s to his no-holds-barred prism of
social and political commentary. Mararian says he is also considering to create a
large, mural-like piece with the theme of
the Armenian Genocide and display it in
a way that has “never been done before.”
Indeed, “never been done before” seems like an apt description
�
to encapsulate Mararian’s art.
connect:
inkydreadfuls.com
C