The culturally fluid, iconic hard-rock band System of a Down is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its album “Toxicity” with a week-long exhibition at a gallery in Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.A.
All four band members — Daron Malakian (guitars, vocals), Serj Tankian (vocals, keys), Shavo Odadjian (bass) and John Dolmayan (drums) are of Armenian descent, either born to Armenian immigrants or immigrants themselves.
Tankian was born in Beirut, Lebanon to Armenian parents who moved as a family to the United States when he was 7 years old.
Malakian was born in California, U.S.A., the only child to Armenian parents who were born in Iraq and emigrated to the United States.
Odadjian was born in Yerevan, Armenian SSR in the then-Soviet Union. He moved to California with his parents when he was 5 years old. He, Malakian and Tankian all attended a bilingual Armenian parochial school in Los Angeles.
Dolmayan — who replaced original drummer Andy Khachaturian — was also born in Beirut and moved to California with his parents during the Lebanese Civil War.
IMMERSIVE WORLD
The exhibition invites fans to step inside the immersive world of an album that has become a defining pillar of modern rock.
Released on September 4, 2001, “Toxicity” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Deemed SPIN’s album of the year, it quickly became a cultural touchstone, giving voice to a generation entering a rapidly changing world.
Twenty-five years later, “Toxicity” has never stopped resonating. Its collision of chaos and beauty, aggression and vulnerability, social consciousness and surrealism has created a resounding impact, transcending genres, geography and generations.
What began as an uncompromising record became a shared cultural experience that continues to be discovered, interpreted and embraced by new audiences around the globe. It endures because it never asked the world to look away. And over two decades on, System Of A Down remains as provocative, visceral and culturally relevant as ever — cementing their place as one of the most influential artists in rock history.
“System Of A Down x Beyond The Streets: Toxicity 25th Anniversary Exhibition” transforms the Los Angeles gallery into a living tribute to one of rock’s most impactful records. Across a week-long run, fans celebrate with exclusive merch offerings, a display of rare artifacts and ephemera from the Toxicity era, immersive installations, iconography and the history that made the album a generational touchstone.
The exhibition offers longtime devotees and new fans alike a rare, up-close encounter with the album’s legacy — free and open to the public for its entire run.
