Astghik Melkonyan (b. 1978) is a multidisciplinary artist originally from Armenia, currently living and working in Montréal, Canada. Her practice spans installation, sculpture, ceramics, performance, photography, video, digital drawings, and found-object assemblage. Through these mediums, she explores themes of socio-political critique, existential inquiry, and cultural identity, often reflecting on the challenges of economic instability and urban transformation. By incorporating natural materials, salvaged objects, and traditional techniques, her projects examine adaptation, resilience, and self-organization within historical and contemporary contexts.

Installations such as How-to Manual: A Monthly Salary examine the absurdity of daily life in post-Soviet Armenia, particularly the precarious position of artists navigating shifting economic conditions. Last Armenians Archetype, a collection of sixty micro-objects composed of natural and repurposed materials, considers survival and geographical displacement through the lens of cultural heritage. These works, along with her broader practice in sculpture, performance, and digital media, engage with the evolving relationship between materiality, memory, and place.

Melkonyan’s work has been presented in numerous domestic and international exhibitions, art fairs, and collaborative projects. She was among three artists chosen to represent Armenia at the 54th Venice Biennale and has exhibited at Manifesta 3 in Ljubljana, Slovenia; <est ouest> Festival in Die, France; and The Body of the City – Adieu Parajanov at Kunsthalle Project Space in Vienna, Austria. Her practice continues to expand across disciplines, fostering dialogue between traditional craftsmanship, contemporary research, and social critique.