Performance Artist, Live Caricaturist
How does one become a performance artist and live caricaturist performing at corporate events, trade fairs, weddings, and birthdays? Behind Agnes’s success lies a long career path built on diligence, family cohesion, and fortunate coincidences. A detailed biography can be found on: Wikipedia
Agnes has lived in Switzerland since 2006. In the same year, Star TV reported on her personal exhibition in Zurich.
As a live caricaturist and performance artist, Agnes has appeared at countless locations in Switzerland and worked with the best references for renowned companies and institutions (see Contact). As a resident of Kriens, Agnes is an active member of the Kriens Trade Association and is involved regionally. The artist reports on her activities and her life on social media and her blog.
Armenia
Agnes Avagyan was born on April 1, 1980, in Yerevan (Armenia). This original date can certainly be seen as an omen for her calling as a caricaturist! Her family reports that she began drawing figures as early as age two. After comprehensive training, Agnes graduated from the P. Terlemezyan Art School and the State Academy of Fine Arts in Yerevan.
A newspaper interview regarding Agnes’s amazingly lighthearted youth during the collapse of the Soviet Union, featuring the otherwise catastrophic “Dark Years” for Armenians, at: www.luzernerzeitung.ch
Political Caricatures
1996 Agnes won 1st prize for the best emblem in the UNICEF competition for “Children Communication Day”. From 1998 to 2002, Agnes worked as a caricaturist for “Hayastani Hanrapetutyun“, the official newspaper of Armenia. From 2001 to 2006, she was a caricaturist for the weekly, government-critical internet journal “ArmeniaNow.com“.
Agnes is a founding member of the Association of Armenian Caricaturists, formed in 2005. Agnes has collaborated with numerous magazines and newspapers from Switzerland and abroad, as well as a number of other organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Art Exhibitions
By the age of 26, the artist had already realized eight personal art exhibitions in Yerevan (1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2005), St. Petersburg in Russia (1996), Aleppo in Syria (2002), and Beirut in Lebanon (2003). She participated in numerous group exhibitions and competitions at home and abroad. In 2000, 2001, and from 2003 to 2005, Agnes was the youngest artist to participate in the exhibition of the “Association of Armenian Caricaturists”. At that time, however, no one suspected that she would evolve into a performance artist and live caricaturist.
At her seventh personal exhibition in March 2003 in Beirut, the Lebanese President Émile Lahoud received Agnes at his palace and presented her with a medal of honor in recognition of her extraordinary talent.
International Cartoons
In March 2002, the “Al Bayan” Dubai State publishing house organized the second caricature competition, in which Agnes participated along with 150 professional caricaturists from 41 countries (mostly Europe). Surprisingly, she was chosen as one of the 15 winners and invited to the Cartoon Festival in Dubai, UAE. Agnes was the youngest and also the only female participant at the festival.
Two-Hand Show
Agnes’s talent breaks the usual boundaries: she can draw synchronously and independently with both hands and received the title of a “Diva” in the Russian Book of Records for this extraordinary ability. These performances laid the foundation for Agnes’s career as a performance artist and live caricaturist.
While some artists prefer studio work, Agnes realized that she likes the limelight. TV stations and newspapers from Armenia, Russia, England, France, Lebanon, USA, Canada, and the UAE reported on her two-hand show.
Children's Books & Bible Games
In addition to her work as a performance artist and live caricaturist, she works on independent productions with her game-author husband Dave Büttler. For example, the two published the religious-pedagogical Bible Miracle Game and the hit game Bible Thriller. Through her participation, she regularly supports church events for children and young people, such as the Ranfttreffen or altar server festivals.
Agnes enthusiastically illustrated a large number of children’s books and drew the weekly puzzle crime page for the Südostschweiz newspaper.
Armenian Genocide 1915
Agnes’s cartoons are positively perceived by the public. Her unmistakable caricatures of the 1915 Armenian genocide can be described as a masterpiece. In April 2009, Agnes was therefore able to hold an exhibition on the Place de la République in Paris for the memorial day of the Armenian genocide.
In 2015, she appeared as a live caricaturist and performance artist for the 100th anniversary at the rally in Bern and drew political caricatures live.
Prominence
Painting a Custom Portrait from Photo as an exclusive, high-quality gift idea:
Handover of a detailed cartoon painting to former National Councilor and entrepreneur legend, patron Walter Frey, at the office of the Emil Frey AG headquarters. The motif shows Sir Winston Churchill in the Jeep UKE 80, which stands as an original in Safenwil in the Emil Frey Classics / Vintage Car Museum.
Agnes drew the entire Federal Council as a sporty team motif for the Tug-of-War Association for the Swiss national team’s three world championship titles in 2021. Federal President Parmelin received the cartoon painting at the Federal Palace in Bern, Switzerland.
In Northeastern Switzerland, Agnes gained prominence in the world of SMEs as a recurring show element of the television program KMU Date, broadcast on Tele Züri, Tele Top, and Ostschweizer Fernsehen, for example here with Kuhn Rikon Switzerland.
Agnes has drawn for numerous public figures such as company CEOs, state organizations, and prominent VIPs who may not be named for reasons of discretion and data protection. These include both live caricatures and often cartoon paintings from photos as studio work. Furthermore, as a live caricaturist, Agnes has significantly helped shape strategy days for the leading Swiss business world, where confidentiality obligations also apply.
Many thanks to football legend Ciriaco Sforza and his wife Marlene for permission to publish the photos of this wonderful family event.
Agnes works with discretion when requested. She integrates into a community in a friendly and positive way. While she is in the limelight with her artistic performance, she places her hosts at the center of her attention.
Her clients appreciate Agnes’s friendliness, patience, naturalness, openness, and empathy when working together. The artist loves meeting people and is interested in their life stories.
Since the beginning of her career, Agnes has been an international artist, seen here on the website with David Endt, team manager of the legendary Ajax Amsterdam Football Club. As a football fan, Agnes has often drawn for the world of football.
The live caricaturist and performance artist also completes international appearances, here as an entertainment program at a family celebration on the Elbe in Hamburg.
Painting a Custom Portrait from Photo for the Institute for European Law.
Agnes's Blog
On her personal page “Agnes Karikaturen“, Agnes reports in a more relaxed, detailed, and quite rambling manner about her life.
