Armenia:
(Never-Never) Land?
November 2013: with excitement I’m taking the first steps towards creating this wonderful project and I get to work searching for contacts, artists, art critics who will be of help during this journey. During the months before my departure, that is the “organisational months”, I realized I was already travelling. On my bedside, in plain view, there were a Lonely Planet guide, a book about Armenian history of Art, an essay about the genocide... They have been useful months to understand a country which
we know so few about, to appreciate from afar its beauty, its sophisticated and almost artistic language, its dramatic landscapes and its golden heart people.
Self on wallpaper (2014)
by Adrineh Gregoryan
The more I got into those books, the more I got in contact with my local “representatives” and the more I realized this journey would change me.
When I told my colleagues and friends about my imminent journey in Armenia, I received many comments and observations quite funny that I’m going to share with you, in order to meet this people through all these prejudices as an opportunity.
The Cairl (2014) by Anahit Margaryan
1. “Armenia does not exist, they are all dead” This is exactly what a colleague of mine told me, even if she travelled a lot. I realized many people believes Armenia it’s just a name that recalls the dramatic history of a people who was gravely destroyed by a genocide. The modern Armenia Republic was born in 1991 after the dissolution of USSR and it is a small Caucasus country with less than 3 millions people living in it (but now there are hundreds or maybe thousands migrants leaving for Russia or elsewhere to seek their fortune).
Studio (2014)
by Ani Marikyan
The cat (2014) by Anna Petrosyan
2. “Armenians don’t live in Armenia” Here’s another interesting observation, but it’s partially true. We esteem that Armenia has a surface which is a twentieth part of the “historic Armenia” which included, above all, even the eastern Anatolia, now in Turkey. After the sadly known events happened in 1915 and the inauguration of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, it became evident for the genocide survivors the impossibility to come back to their land. This is how it began the Armenian diaspora who brought this people to scatter themselves across Syria, Lebanon, then Europe and Canada and USA (California mainly).
Lost Contact (2014)
by Areg Balayan
Red (2014)
by Armen Hacopian Toomraryan
3. “Armenian have got big nose”
This witty observation by a friend of mine made me laugh all my travel long. Because Armenians, just like every people, have so many colours and features, but it’s true that both men and women have got wonderful and majestic noses that seem to proudly scream their belonging to one of the most ancient people in the world.
Masks (2014)
by Ashkhen Davtyan
Kond (2014) by Eduard Soghoyan
4. “Armenians do not speak English” This is a sore point! Woe is me. English language is quite unknown in Armenia, whereas Russian is more spoken. We must not undervalue Armenians ability to use their hands and the facial expression even better than Italians do, so that communicate was never a problem for me. I spent months getting lots of e-mails in broken Russian, simplified Armenian (they were optimistic about my language abilities), armenenglish and so on, but thanks to smileys and a bit of fortune, I managed just fine. Even during a morning with a Yerevan taxidriver: since I couldn’t explain him the way to bring me back to the hotel... I drove his car.
Be Yourself (2014) by Hasmig Hakobian
5. “Armenians will get you crazy, but after all everything will magically work” Well, among all the “prophecies” this is no doubt the most true. Armenians are medium messy, latecoming people, they work slowly, clap their hands during landings (just like Italians). Armenians asked me if they should paint on the front or on the back of the canvas, they asked me if they could give me a painting at 5 o’clock in the morning, they also asked me the same thing ten times. 3 Armenians literally chased me in the middle of the street while our car was leaving, creating such a suspense. Yet, as if by miracle, here I am surrounded by 140 beautiful and passionate works, full of creative energy and will to spread their history across the world. They made me crazy but they taught me that “you need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star”.
G3W99JL1V5Q (2014)
by Garik Karapetyan
6. “Armenia seems like the Moon”
Armenia looks like the Moon, like Mars, like the Earth. A Country very small yet so various, with its mountains almost dazzling with their impressive beauty (also Ararat mountain, even if it’s in Turkey, it is really the “angel guardian” to the city of Yerevan), crystal lakes, long desert areas, fertile valleys, very ancient monasteries clinging on the mountains, ancient rocks engraved and scattered like seeds in a field.
Untitled (2014) by Jenny Gevorgyan
7. “Armenians are good people” Armenians are fantastic. No matter their role, position, their age. If they can, they help you. They do their best to help you. Some are a bit suspicious, but once you sketch out a few words in their language, they will smile all the time. Thanks to this “armenian heart” I could successfully finish my task. Thanks to Martina Corgnati for her very important contacts, her kindness and competence; thanks to the Honorary Consul Pietro Kuciukian and his wife Anna Maria for being precious guides and guardian angels both in Italy and in Armenia; thanks to the Honorary Consul in Gyumri Antonio Montalto for his big heart, his flawless logistic and his smile; thanks to Villa Delenda and Villa Kars girls (and the little boys!) who coloured and heated up my days (despite the cold weather) with their fondness; thanks to Arpa Hacopian (and all the ACCEA Museum of Yerevan staff) for being a real “mission mate”, so extroverted and smiling, very professional and now a real friend; thanks to Gegel for translating my “letter” without knowing me; thanks to the artists for their participation and for making me feel at home. Thanks to all those people I came across and who tried to help me as they could.
Guja Mabellini Art-Curator
Lightness (2014)
by Karine Galstyan
