Andrius Arutiunian: They Tried to Count Us
Southbank CentreBelvedere Road, South Bank, London
Until 7 Mar 2027 · Free
About this event
Humanity’s continuous quest to define the afterlife and existence beyond our planet lies at the heart of the Armenian-Lithuanian artist’s first UK solo show. Bringing together recent work and new commissions by Andrius Arutiunian, They Tried to Count Us offers a compelling encounter with voices and visions from other worlds. The exhibition expands the artist’s ongoing investigation into representations of the underworld and cosmic phenomena across time and cultures. Arutiunian treats mythology as a form of time travel: a dark pool of knowledge from which alternative pasts and futures are presented. He draws from the materials, objects and rituals associated with these ancient practices to create offerings for future deities. Humanity’s age-old quest to understand the afterlife runs parallel to modern-day endeavours to decipher the universe. For his first solo exhibition in the UK, the artist reconstructs a fragment of an unfinished radio anechoic chamber (a room designed to absorb electromagnetic waves) from an Armenian radio telescope. Along with a series of sculptures and a new sound piece inspired by stars, the exhibition acts as a shrine to the cosmos. Arutiunian reveals how myth, scientific observation and chaos are caught in the same orbit, inviting you to embrace the unknown. Andrius Arutiunian is an Armenian-Lithuanian artist and composer. Working across installation, sculpture and performance, his practice draws on vernacular knowledge, contemporary cosmologies and diasporic sonic traditions examining listening as a political, spiritual and bodily act. He graduated in Music Composition at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague (2016) and represented Armenia at the 59th Venice Biennale (2022). Selected shows include Fondation d’entreprise Hermès (Tokyo, 2026), Moderna Museet (Malmö, 2026), Performa (New York, 2025), Kunstmuseum Magdeburg (2025), the 15th Gwangju Biennale (2024) and Centre Pompidou (Paris, 2024). His works are held in the collections of Centre Pompidou and KADIST. Presented as part of the RC Foundation Project Space Exhibition Series, with support from the RC Foundation, Taiwan (R.O.C.). Additional support provided by Upė Foundation.
