Armenian Genocide

Featured Artist: Sophia Boyadjian

“I am the great-great-granddaughter of genocide survivors. My research suggests that our ancestors fled from a border town called Kilis, an Armenian community in Turkey, to Syria. Some built new lives in Syria and others, including my great-grandparents, relocated to Egypt, where my father was born. He immigrated to Canada in 1984. The Armenian Genocide was avoided as a topic of conversation amongst my family. Consequently, there remain many unknowns, and as I realize the gaps and loss of information in my own family’s history, I am increasingly compelled to learn more about the Armenian Genocide and uncover my ancestors’ stories.

The images I selected for RedWork: The Emperor of Atlantis combine historic and contemporary occurrences of Armenian persecution inflicted by Turkey’s century-long systematic goal of ethnic and cultural cleansing. The September 2020 attack by Azerbaijan (backed by Turkey), on Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), resulted in loss of land and life (Council on Foreign Relations, Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict).

In response to this genocidal attack against Armenians, my work took on a new purpose, aligning with this existential threat as a descendant of genocide survivors. This newly imposed reality pushed me to think more critically about my familial history, motivating me to continue working with the tragic histories of the Armenian Genocide. This series of embroidery patterns illustrates Turkey’s denial and its continual effort toward ethnic cleansing, while also highlighting international inaction and non-intervention.

This collection of images depicts history repeating itself some 106 years after the Armenian Genocide, reminding us that genocide denied is genocide repeated. Ultimately, contributing to this work through the perspective of a descendant of genocide survivors serves as a steppingstone to revive stories of Armenian persecution, raise awareness, and pays tribute to our ancestors as we honour all the victims of past and current genocides.”

Video: Interview with Sophia Boyadjian

Sophia Boyadjian is a Canadian born Visual Artist and Art Teacher who obtained her BFA at Concordia University where she is completing her Master of Arts in Art Education. Her visual arts practice explores themes of nature, postmemories, and the preservation of family traditions and culture through productions of drawings, paintings, print-making and conceptual work. Her art research is heavily informed by her Italian and Armenian heritage as she investigates familial histories and seeks to preserve cultural traditions. Most recently, Sophia’s arts-based research examined the collective history of the 1915 Armenian Genocide with attention to generational trauma rooted in escape, survival, and perseverance.

See more of Sophia’s work at: https://www.instagram.com/sophiaboyadjian.art/

Sophia Boyadjian’s work is shared with the artist’s permission and the artist has been paid fees for the inclusion of her patterns in this project. Paying artists for their work is recognition of the central cultural work that they perform.

Burnt Armenian Catholic Church, aftermath of the Adana Massacre, Ottoman Empire (present day Turkey), April 1909.

Armenian Genocide Museum Institute

Father holding skull of his son, aftermath of the Adana Massacre, Ottoman Empire (present day Turkey), April 1909.

Armenian Genocide Museum Institute

Destroyed bazaar, aftermath of the Adana Massacre, Ottoman Empire (present day Turkey), April 1909.

Armenian Genocide Museum Institute

Russian soldiers standing in the aftermath of a massacre resulting in Armenians being burnt alive by Turkish soldiers in Sheykhalan, region of Mush, Ottoman Empire (Present Day Turkey), 1915.

Collection of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute Archive

Child dead of exhaustion in Kharberd, Ottoman Empire (Present Day Turkey), 1915.

Maria Jacobsen, Collection of the Armenian National Archive

A crowd looks on as Armenians are hanged, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (Present Day Turkey), 1915.

Armenian National Institute

The beginning of Armenian deportation to the Syrian Desert, ordered by the government of Ottoman Turkey, photographed by Armin Wegner, April 1915.

Sybil Stevens/ Armenian National Institute

After resistance in Musa Dagh, Ottoman Empire (Present Day Turkey), Armenians hold a red cross flag after the arrival of Port Said, Egypt, September 1915.

Library of Congress / Bain News Service photograph collection

Article published on 15 December 1915.

New York Times

Skulls, in various stages of decomposition, of Armenian deportees, Ottoman Empire (Present day Syria), 1915-1916.

Armenian National Institute / Collection of Armin T. Wegner Society

Armenian woman kneels over dead child near Aleppo, Ottoman Empire (Present day Syria), 1915.

Library of Congress/ Bain Collection

Armenians beheaded, date unknown.

Collection of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute Archive

The deportation of Armenians by railway, date unknown.

Armenian Genocide Museum Institute

Man apart of the Grey Wolves gesturing a “wolf” hand salute; Grey Wolves are a far-right Turkish ultranationalist organization known for its violent behavior and for promoting fascism.

L. Berg / AFP