Grandchildren: An exhibition of Armenian artists opens in Istanbul

A new exhibition at Istanbul’s Depo gallery takes a closer look at personal and communal affiliations in the Armenian diaspora, “scattered like pomegranate seeds across the world.”

“Geandchildren, New geographies of belonging” opens on Sept. 3 at Depo in Istanbul’s Tophane neighborhood, and will run until Nov. 1, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“In a global context where mobility and the virtual world challenge established identifications with national societies, ethnic groups or religions, Armenians can be considered a good example of a group with a long, cosmopolitan and globalized history,” Depo states about the show on its website. The exhibition includes works from Armenian artists based around the world. It is coordinated by Silvina Der-Meguerditchian and organized in cooperation with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Federal Foreign Office Germany, the Goethe Institut- Istanbul, Anadolu Kültür, the Cultural Academy Tarabya, and Heinrich Böll Stiftung.

The works of Achot Achot (Yerevan/Paris), Marian Bedoian (Buenos Aires), Talin Büyükkürkciyan (Istanbul), Hera Büyüktaşçıyan (Istanbul), Silvina Der-Meguerditchian (Buenos Aires/Berlin), Linda Ganjian (New York), Archi Galentz (Moscow/Berlin), Karine Matsakyan (Yerevan)  Mikayel Ohanjanyan (Yerevan/Florenz), Ani Setyan (Istanbul), Arman Tadevosyan (Gyumri/Nancy), Scout Tufankjian (New York) and Marie Zolamian (Beirut/Liege) are included in the exhibition.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS