Vartan avakian biography of christopher

“Vartan Avakian’s A Very Short History of Tall Men commemorates the forgotten leaders of failed coups d’états.

Based on careful, painstaking research conducted both on the Internet and in archives and libraries, it seeks to materially reconstitute these almost important figures from the minimal historical traces they have left behind. [...] This process seems to parallel, or better yet, parody the traditional method for creating likenesses of kings and leaders whereby the imperfections and shortcomings of reality are adjusted and augmented to create a worthy image.

[...] These reconstitutions take a form that is proper for a commemoration of power: a statue of the man, standing tall, proud and triumphant. Portrayed at a moment that precedes his eventual failure, each man’s pose is authoritative and dynamic, still energised with potential, with the promise of success.

Though the statues are almost photogra