Yerevan Artist Shakart Transforms Charbakh Into Open-Air Gallery

Shant Karapetyan, known professionally as Shakart, has become a central figure in Armenia's street art scene by converting the Charbakh neighborhood in Yerevan into an open-air gallery. The artist, who abandoned a medical career to pursue art full-time, creates works across unconventional mediums including pills, matchboxes, and large-scale murals. His notable pieces include interpretations of classic paintings by Alexandre Cabanel, Vincent van Gogh, and Johannes Vermeer displayed on neighborhood walls and garage facades. Shakart's work has gained recognition beyond Charbakh's streets, with his pieces now featured in respected galleries. After a 17-month creative hiatus, he has resumed his practice with ambitions to eventually exhibit at the National Gallery of Armenia. His murals have become landmarks that connect the neighborhood's courtyards, though some works have been lost to building demolition over time.