Something Out of Nothing
Garin Hovannisian on navigating the creative journey
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March 14, 2007
Ararat Quarterly Examines Karabakh
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Cover of "Ararat:" special issue on Karabakh, featuring art by Aram Jibilian and Tigran Khachatryan.
AGBU Ararat quarterly is pleased to announce the launch of its special issue devoted to the arts, culture, society, politics, and history of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. Through the efforts of guest editor Neery Melkonian, a New York-based freelance art writer, curator, and advisor, the newest edition of Ararat presents an array of thought-provoking articles and discussions, as well as art, film, fiction and reviews on the topic of Karabakh by a host of Armenian and non-Armenian academics, writers and artists.
Seeking to understand Karabakh after a conflict that left tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, the special issue of the journal, according to Melkonian, reflects "upon a remote corner of the world which positions some of us as refugees from our own consciences."
Melkonian elaborates in her introduction to the issue, "You may not find arguments for this or against that; there are no master narratives that fix 'us' and 'them' in neat or simple categories, be it historical, ethnic, gender, generational, or ideological. Absent also are stereotypical renderings of Karabakh as the 'aggressor' or 'victor'...What you have instead are sober exercises of the imagination, an imperfect utopia for freedom(s) which serve as a sketch for weaving a new type of Karabakh rug. A rug that is presently forming the endless; at once utilitarian and abstract; drifting between the fictional and the factual; shifting the traveler's itinerary but nevertheless arriving to a place that separates and connects us simultaneously."
Contributors to the special issue, with articles and/or artwork, are Silva Ajemian, Armine Aleksanyan, Nora Armani, Christopher Atamian, Tina Bastajian, Crystal Allene Cook, Hrayr Anmahouni Eulmessekian, Mark Gavoor, Arman Gregoryan, Robert Hewsen, Seta Iskanderian, Aram Jibilian, Meline Karakashian, David Kazanjian, Braden King, Markar Melkonian, and Ara Oshagan.
Published by AGBU since 1960, Ararat (www.agbu.org/ararat) is a unique forum for serious thought about contemporary issues in Armenian life and culture. To order single copies of this issue ($7, plus shipping) please contact AGBU (55 E. 59th Street, New York, NY 10022-1112) via email ararat@agbu.org or by calling 212.319.6383. Subscriptions ($24/year) to Ararat can also be purchased at AGBU's online bookstore, www.agbu.org/bookstore. Ararat welcomes unsolicited submissions for publication.
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