CULTURE AND ARTS

Saint Joseph University of Beirut inaugurated the Ara Hrechdakian Chair of Armenian Studies on October 27, 2025, made possible through a generous donation from the Hrechdakian family. The Chair, operating within the university's Bibliothèque Orientale, will focus on research activities while organizing academic conferences, cultural workshops, and exhibitions, as well as offering courses in Armenian Studies. Actress Arsinée Khanjian has been appointed as Chairholder, and Dr. Vahe Tachjian will serve as Executive Director. The Chair plans to create a website devoted to Armenian communities in Lebanon and the Middle East, aiming to preserve family materials and reconstruct the memory of community life while engaging both Armenian and non-Armenian audiences.

Artist photographer Silva Bingaz’s exhibition, Opus 3c, opened on February 17 at Öktem Aykut Art Gallery (İstanbul) . Bingaz’s photography goes beyond the conventional act of “taking a photograph” (capturing an image and taking it away). Through her predominantly black-and-white frames, she translates the divine moment of encounter between images and the gaze into an infinite narrative in the most intimate way possible. Drawing from her new exhibition, we spoke with Bingaz about the processes of documenting the acts of “giving birth; and the efforts to record the act of bringing into existence, the act that remains unrecorded and rather traditionally unknown”

October 20, 2024 was recorded in the city memory of Kütahya as the day that priest Gomidas was remembered publicly for the first time in his birthplace. Gomidas begins his autobiography with the lines, “I was born on September 26, 1869 in the city of Gudina (Kütahya) in Asia Minor, they named me Soğomon.” Based on this document, many Armenians in the past went to Kütahya to see the city where Gomidas was born, and if they could, even the house where he was born. This time, we hit the road to Kütahya as a guest of the Kütahya City Council History, Cultural Heritage and Local Values ​​Working Group.

“Dance is the hidden language of the soul, of the body.” Martha Graham

Art at the Zero Point, formed by a group of artists, most of whom are from Antakya, opened an exhibition on the damage caused by the earthquakes in Antakya and the current state of the city. The exhibition, hosted by Gallery KUB in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, opened on Saturday, September 7.

As a passionate listener of her music, I had the honour of having a sincere conversation with the esteemed Armenian musician and composer Lilit Pipoyan for Agos readers. While Armenian music triggers a memory that has become the language of pain and conscience, countless works by Armenian artists have inspired many cultures and are in danger of being translated into other languages and lost. We had a conversation for more than two hours with Lilit Pipoyan over the Zoom, who interpreted Armenian songs from centuries ago and brought them to the present day, breathing heart into her voice.

Gorky, in Venice, is a unique exhibit. To have so many of his works, few of which survived the numerous disasters during his lifetime, is in itself an event.

If there is one thing that is undeniable about Sergei Parajanov it is that he was born to create art.

Ara, who for decades, watched the world through the veiwfinder and clicked for images thousands of times to imortalize humanity hus shut his eyes and covered the lens of his cameras for good. Ara Güler’s images will live on, he will live thorugh the people who’s lives he touched.

The exhibition “70TK: From Tatavla to Kurtuluş” will be open until 1 October. We met with its curator Dr. Banu Pekol, to talk about the project.