Your Namak for Sunday, June 26
“With Honor” parliamentary faction shutters, Biden appoints new U.S. ambassador to Armenia, and more than 30,000 foreigners settle in Armenia.
Hi there, here’s your weekly briefing of Armenian news in English, curated, reported and fact-checked by journalists Astrig Agopian and Maral Tavitian.
“With Honor” Parliamentary Faction Shutters
On June 21, MP Artur Vanetsyan announced his resignation from parliament and the end of the “With Honor” parliamentary faction, composed of a union between the “Hayrenik” party and the Republican Party of Armenia. The former director of Armenia’s National Security Service, Vanetsyan declared that the National Assembly was not effective enough to oppose the current administration. “In my opinion, this parliament has ceased to be an effective platform,” he wrote in a Facebook post. He said that his Hayrenik party would continue working outside of the parliament.
30,000 Foreigners Have Settled In Armenia Since the Beginning of the War in Ukraine
According to Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan, 30,000 people from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus have moved to Armenia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine on February 24. He added that more than 1,200 new companies have also opened in the country, including many IT firms. As a consequence, real estate prices have increased an average of 40 percent, spawning a housing crisis in Yerevan and other major cities.
Biden Appoints New U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
On June 22, U.S. President Joe Biden announced his nomination of Kristina Kvien to the position of American Ambassador to Armenia. Kvien, a career diplomat, currently serves as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. A California native, Kvien holds a bachelor’s degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles and a master’s from the U.S. Army War College.
UNICEF Finds Armenian Schools Lack Sewage Systems
According to UNICEF Armenia, citing the country’s school management information system, 135 schools in Armenia lack proper sewage systems. More than 4,000 students and 600 teachers across 70 schools lack water to drink or wash with, representing approximately five percent of schools in the country. The report states that access to water and sanitation is not only essential for effective prevention and control of infectious diseases, but also a prerequisite for children’s development and overall well-being.
Araks Sahakyan: Meet a Spanish-Armenian multidisciplinary artist exploring identities, migration and intimacy
“Most of the stories I tell should be told in gray, but the world is already so gray that I prefer telling them with many colors.”
Araks Sahakyan has a calm and intriguing presence. Even when she is serious, her eyes seem to be smiling in a mysterious way. Born in Hrazdan, Armenia in 1990, Araks was 13 years old when her family moved to the port city of Alicante, Spain in search of a better life.
“Even though I did not have the opportunity to go to many exhibitions or learn a lot about what was out there in the arts universe, I had my own aesthetic lessons,” she says. “My relationship with nature, with what I saw around me, poems I read, that was my artistic education.”
While Araks works with different mediums and tools as a visual artist, her Armenian culture is a consistent source of inspiration. “When I was a child, I remember there were carpets everywhere. Not necessarily traditional or luxury ones, cheap carpets, but everywhere on the walls, on the floor, on the sofa, on the chairs,” she says. “You take your shoes off before walking on the carpet, it’s like a sacred place.”
Entitled “Paper Carpets,” one of her first big projects in 2018 adopted a fresh take on the carpets of her childhood. “I worked with markers because it was for a contest organized by Bic,” she says of the competition sponsored by the marker brand. “It was very natural for me to work with markers because when I was a child I drew with markers.” Araks won the contest.
She uses A4 format paper sheets which she connects with tape to create a larger piece when expanded or a compact version when folded: on which she draws carpets in diverse saturated colors.
Araks has exhibited her work in galleries throughout Europe, including in Venice, Amsterdam, London and many cities in between. But her art is not limited to one-dimensional formats –– her eclectic background moves her to experiment with video and live performance as well.
Araks received a degree in translation and interpreting from the University of Alicante before studying fine arts at the Sorbonne, and at the Ecole nationale supérieure d’arts of Paris-Cergy. She has been based in Paris for eight years, and describes France as her “chosen land.” But Araks is always on the move.
“I use paper sheets because I like to make big size works of art, but that I can take anywhere with me. I just take my paper sheets, I can work on some parts everywhere, and then when I put them all next to each other, it’s my big carpet,” she says. “My work is about transition, migrations, so it makes sense to have a format that can travel with me.”
The carpets have a main storyline and then many other hidden little stories. The use of bright colors is a trick to attract the viewer’s eyes, but also to help tell the story.
“Most of the stories I tell should be told in gray, but the world is already so gray that I prefer telling them with many saturated colors,” Araks says. “When I create art, what I am trying to do is share an emotion.”
Araks adopts a multidisciplinary approach to her work. Her inspirations range from traditional Armenian music and Soviet buildings to Spanish beaches, flamenco, the very different relationships to one’s body in the two countries.
When asked about what she wants for the future, Araks has a simple answer: keep on doing what she loves. “My biggest dream would just be to keep on being an artist. It’s a lot of work but also some luck,” she says. “It’s hard, and sometimes discouraging, so I hope I will stay strong and continue in the arts field.”
To attend: Sunrise Stepanakert, a multimedia arts and culture festival at the Stepanakert State Drama Theater in Nagorno-Karabakh from June 24 until July 3.
To read: Armenian Activist Won’t Stop Fight For Trans Rights –– Despite The Threats, an article about activist Lilit Martirosyan, who campaigns for a hate crime law and stays in Armenia despite death threats.
That’s it for today, see you next week!
Questions? Story ideas? An urge to say barev/parev? You can send us a secure email at namaknews@protonmail.com.