M A T R I L I N E
Barcelona, 2025
My origins are from Russia and Armenia.
I took my mom’s Armenian surname as an artistic name since the beginning of the practice cure.tain. But I never put this part of my cultural heritage into artistic expression. During my upbringing, not much Armenian culture was passed on to me. My mom also does not speak the language. My Armenian identity is something barely seen even by me.
My mom compiled the stories from her parents, aunt, letters, and memoirs into a family story dating back to 1885. Last year I read it and understood a lot about my family, our history.
One branch of my ancestors ran from Karabach in 1893 under Ottoman’s Empire pressure to Turkmenistan, Merv. It was one of the major cities on the Silk Road from China.
During my last visit to Russia, I saw again a rug which my mom inherited from her great- grandmother. It was great-grandma's dowry when she lived in Turkmenistan.
Recently I asked my mom to photograph the rug, and in discussion with her printed it over a thin ecover silk. Out of this print, I create Noren, a type of curtain used as a soft barrier between spaces. This work is a tribute to my roots, to female strength passed on to me through generations. The image of the rug, which is older than a century, is printed on an ephemeral thin textile. This is also a reflection of the fragility of something I considered endlessly durable. A fear of losing mom became very present for me in recent times.