The work of conceptual artist Sarkis spans more than four decades, yet it defies a linear and historical reading. In his multisensorial, multimedia and multicultural exhibitions, music flirts with installations, watercolors are captured on video, and magnetic tape takes on human form. A driving force behind the work of this 72-year-old Turkish-born artist of Armenian descent is the idea that art has potentially transformative power—both horizontally, in terms of education and activism, but also vertically, as a way to elevate the human spirit and transcend suffering. His approach might best be compared to that of a composer who has developed a musical score with different variations and recurring themes, such as his use and reuse of collected objects from what he calls his kriegsschatz (“war chest”), his collaborations with other artists, the significance of color and light, and the importance of ritual and memory.