In October 2023, I attended an artist residency in Yerevan, arriving less than two weeks after the most recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. This conflict had forced 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee the enclave of Artsakh within Azerbaijan, leading to a significant humanitarian crisis. I stayed at the Masoor Art House cultural center, which had become a hub for supporting refugees. The local community was diligently working to provide food and assistance to the influx of displaced individuals. During this period, other global conflicts were erupting, drawing international attention away from the plight of the refugees in Yerevan, who often felt invisible and abandoned by the world. This shift in focus made the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh even more poignant and urgent for those directly affected.
Despite the language barrier, with only a few people speaking limited English, I could capture the raw, immediately human and unfiltered atmosphere of those critical days in Yerevan, just after the conflict had subsided. The contrast between the political rhetoric often seen in the media or during public gatherings and the genuine solidarity among ordinary people was stark and profound. Despite the pervasive sense of loss that filled the air, I captured the image of a community grappling with displacement yet determined to find hope and rebuild their lives.
