Vartanian was born in Aleppo, Syria,[4] raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
His blog-magazine Hyperallergic was founded by Vartanian and his husband Veken Gueyikian in October 2009[5] as a "forum for serious, playful and radical thinking".
[6] Vartanian has contributed to numerous online and print publications including the Art:21 blog,[7] Boldtype, The Brooklyn Rail,[8] Huffington Post,[9] AGBU News Magazine, Ararat Magazine,[10] and NYFA Current.
[15][16][17] He was formerly Director of Communications at AGBU, the world's largest Armenian non-profit organization.
[19] The work in the show was a mix of contemporary and historical, and featured artists Gariné Torossian and Hrair Sarkissian, among others.