A 'dream of eternity' hewn in granite

WHAT could be more inspiring to a sculptor than to be be born where it all began - in the land of the great pyramids and ancient sculptures? But it's not where he grew up, or the artforms around him that inspired Armen Agop as much as the sheer sense of timelessness they represent.

"Egypt is a good place for a sculptor to be born. There is no doubt that it was an endless source of inspiration," declares Agop, whose family originated from Armenia, whose people were almost wiped out by genocide a century ago.

From his heritage and his adopted land, Agop could identify strongly with the idea of survival and the dream of eternity.