COOPER DESIGN SPACE

September 27- December 20, 2025

Artist’s Bio/Statement

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Hagop Najarian and his family immigrated to the United States in 1969. As an Armenian living in La Mirada, he drew strength from the strong ties and grounding that his family and close community provided. Watching his father and grandfather create elaborate wood furniture with simple tools was the foundation and driving force in Najarian as an artist.

Najarian is a working artist living in La Mirada and is a Professor of Art teaching Drawing and Painting at Cerritos College since 1999. Najarian is an artist and curator, exhibiting his work locally, nationally, and internationally through his art collectives Durden and Ray and MAÄRLA.

Unit 208 is an exhibition of work created in Najarian’s studio at the Bendix Building since 2022. This period of work showcases Najarian’s constant interest to merge figuration and abstraction. From his Abstract series “Atonal Chromatics”, he investigates the compositional and structural elements of Atonal Harmonics in music and translates the effects to the process of drawing and painting. The paintings are a synthesis of color and sound. From his series “Home Turf”, he utilizes his formal training as a figurative painter and manifests his desire to tell stories that express Love, Joy and Humanity.

 As an ongoing record of his visual and musical DNA, these paintings celebrate both the audible and visual senses within his creative process as a painter and musician.

Larger Work in the Foyer 

Smaller Space Work in the Lobby