Karina Akopyan: Equilux

COOC is delighted to present Equilux, a solo presentation featuring the multidisciplinary practice of Karina Akopyan. Commissioned by Maguelone Marcenac, a selection of Akopyan’s paintings, prints, and wearable sculptures will be curated alongside pieces from COOC’s permanent collection, reinforcing existing synergies that inspire exchange and forge creative connections. Visits are by appointment from 19th November-1st December.

Installed within The Portal as an extension of the presentation, Akopyan’s The Wicker Woman reflects the core ethos and identity of The Mandrake. United through a shared reputation as destinations for London’s most revolutionary artists and artforms, Wicker Woman acts as a conduit between the hotel and COOC, a fusion of two distinctive spaces which unlocks an ecosystem ripe for exploration and enrichment.

As a formal introduction to the presentation, the Opening Reception will feature a dialogue between the artist and Director of The Mandrake and COOC Collection, Kate Fensterstock. The discussion will reflect on Akopyan’s inspiration, methodologies and technique, whilst the pair navigates a mutually occupied arena within the contemporary cultural discourse. The debut of Akopyan’s latest wearable sculpture, The Sun King, sits at the centre of the narrative, and landmarks a site-specific performance from Berlin-based interdisciplinary artist Hungry that brings Akopyan’s programme to life.

Whereas ‘equinox’ defines the cosmic positioning of the Sun directly above Earth’s equator, ‘equilux’ specifies the subjective nature of experiencing the event where day and night harmoniously converge. At the exact intersection of where one cycle ends and another begins, is the monument to transformation, regeneration, and the promise of progress. Due to the atmospheric bending of sunlight, the shift is official at varied technical moments phased across the planet, whereby the ‘equilux’ is rendered as inherently personal, defined only by the uniqueness of the Self who interprets it.

In Akopyan’s practice, transformation functions as both process and philosophy, most notably treating the body as a site where identity is constructed rather than inherited. Costume does not conceal the Self but allows it to emerge in a more truthful form, where ornament ceases to reinforce hierarchy and becomes instead an act of liberation…thus embodying a vehicle for ‘equilux’.

The Sun King understands transformation not as disguise but as a process of becoming, where the body is not discovered or revealed; it is consciously composed. A herald for the wider exhibition of artworks, each of Akopyan’s pieces investigate these notions of identity, channeling their perspectives through the frameworks of myth, folklore, iconology, and queer history.

Renowned for championing experimental expression and radical creative vision, private members club COOC is the natural landscape for incubating Akopyan’s ideas. Ritualism, theatre and nightlife counterculture are activated as the contemporary scenarios in which Akopyan’s narrative becomes engaged, fostering a synergy which ultimately serves as a catalyst for ‘equilux’ and motivates lasting innovation.

19 November – 1 December 2026 (by appointment)
COOC, 19 Newman Street, London W1T 1PF, United Kingdom
www.karina-akopyan.com

Images courtesy of the artist © Karina Akopyan