TITLE: Equus

Damian created Equus series to show a harmony of death and beauty.
The name of the series is inspired by a 1973 play by Peter Schaffer. This is the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological fascination with horses. Parallels between the play and Damian’s work have only become obvious after the post production, the original concept of the series was not inspired by the play.
The element of death in the photos corresponds to the mutilation of horses by the young man who once adored them. The element of beauty, dominated by nudity, resonates with the night rituals the young man would secretly perform with the horses who he worshipped as his own personal god and was sexually obsessed with at the same time.

AUTHOR: Damian Hovhannisyan (Armenia)

Damian is an Armenian film photographer and fashion designer based in Yerevan. His fascination with photography started at the age of 13 as he was shooting friends with his first Olympus camera.
Although he always knew film photography is his passion and landed his first professional photography jobs while at high school, Damian decided to obtain an additional profession given limited potential of the Armenian photography industry. He went on to start radiophysics studies at Yerevan State University, where he later on gained a PhD degree.
In the early years of his career Damian would use special effects to turn digital photos into his signature vintage portraits but soon he replaced digital cameras with film cameras for more organic creations. He is one of the first and to date very few photographers contributing to the development of film photography in Armenia.
Damian has had individual exhibitions in Armenia, Vienna, Cyprus and New York. His talent has been recognized by world class professionals who have invited him to various talent programs or featured in reputable magazines, e.g. Vogue Italy, Lomography, Buro24/7 to mention a few.
In 2018 Damian founded Damink fashion label, which has been represented in London and Milan fashion weeks, Vogue talents and featured on FAB UK.