PARRHESİAPAR
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Fishermen and Net Mender Women of Kumkapı
The sea and fishermen form a common theme in Ara Güler's photographs of Istanbul. The exhibition of a selection of photographs taken in the old fishermen's neighborhood of Kumkapı under the title 'Kumkapı Fishermen' was inspired by Ara Güler's series of articles titled 'Kumkapı with Armenian Fishermen' published in Jamanak newspaper in 1952, taken when he was still a young photojournalist. Among his famous signature photographs of fishermen and net menders captured sometimes in groups or single, there are also women who immediately catch our eye, the most striking one being Merametci Saten Hanım.
23 May 2024
Can we illuminate our dark future?
On Wednesday, April 24th, alongside Nesim Ovadya İzrail, our memory walk with approximately twenty participants led us to a point where we encountered the memory of spaces where Armenian intellectuals, whose stories we have read in books and their photographs we have seen in commemorative ceremonies, once converged. As one participant noted, during our walk, "unlike official history, what happened appeared more real to us”.
10 May 2024
The Worlds of Marco Polo
A medievalist Zaroui Pogossian working at the University of Florence in Italy, curated the historical section of Armenians of the exhibition in order to recreate what Marco Polo might have seen in these regions. She is also the author of the chapter on Marco Polo and Armenia in the exhibition’s bilingual catalog, published in Italian and English. In particular, Pogossian has brought together artifacts from the manuscript collections of the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts- Matenadaran in Armenia and the Mkhitaryan Monastery in Venice, as well as objects from the History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan
20 April 2024
Armenian Literature, Catastrophe and its Representation: Seminars with Marc Nichanian
Although Hagop Oshagan, who was born and raised in Sölöz, near Bursa, is a well-known writer in the diaspora, the fact that he is less known and read by Armenians in Turkey, and that his works have not been translated into Turkish, is a very telling absence. These works, which provide significant information about the last period of the Ottoman Empire, and daily life in the provinces, thus will be extremely illuminating at the intersection of literature and history.
9 April 2024
On Ariel Djanikian and “The Prospectors”
The historical framework of the novel “The Prospectors,” which emerged from a long process of research and writing, is based on Djanikian’s maternal family history, who is American. The writer’s paternal family is Armenian. While writing the novel, Djanikian examined forgotten sources, both old and new, particularly focusing on the Klondike region, and crafted a narrative that intertwines snippets of personal history with official history.
21 March 2024
About the ‘Hay Gin’ Performance
Getronagan students live each female character not only through the text, but also by dressing, speaking, acting and communicating like that character. In this context, the show 'Hay Gin' also inspires us as a pedagogical model.
10 March 2024
Carrying the Mourning
This highly evocative performance can be interpreted differently by each viewer at a time when earthquakes, wars, and consequently forced migrations take up a lot of space in our psyches throughout the world. For Armenians like myslef, who are trying to fill in the gaps of the migration stories in their family history, this performance would probably have very strong echoes in their inner world.
25 February 2024
On the travel writings of Tlgadintsi
Harutyunyan, born in 1860 in the village of Tlgadin (Huylu, now officially known as Kuyulu) south of Harput, is generally known for his newspaper articles, travel notes, plays, and short stories. In these writings, Tlgadintsi not only critically conveys the condition of Armenian properties and monasteries perspective,but also depicts the details of daily life with an ethnographic finesse, and portrays, as Beledian described, an almost silent forewarning of the impending disaster.
8 February 2024
Going against the tide
Hrant Dink, who comes from an Armenian family from Malatya, took on his historical identity by leaving his daily life in the middle of the gap between the province (kawar) and Istanbul. It is an identity woven with annihilation, the erasure of traces, inconsolable mourning, and an endless sense of injustice.
20 January 2024
Parrhesia Collective 2023 in Retrospect
Kavar, translated as "province," encapsulates more than just a locality outside the city; it embodies the homeland, nature, and the relationship between human beings and the land. Our exploration of Kavar Literature began with Hamasdegh, and the ideas that emerged during our discussions formed the foundation for our future initiatives. We not only delved into Kavar Literature but also broadened our investigation by drawing comparisons with world literature
16 January 2024
“Creative Dance/Embodied Pedagogy”
With her “Dance with Armenian Letters” project in Berlin a few years ago, Babikyan approaches her return to the roots perhaps from the very beginning of the story, through the alphabet. Giving life to letters through bodily expression is a significant example in her unique artistic journey of exploration and teaching. Moreover, Babikyan does not keep this experience to herself but enables children and adult participants in the workshops to gain their own experiences, thereby involving them in this journey. At the core of this practice lies an artist’s awareness and sensitivity.
26 November 2023

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