“Speak up, it’s time, it’s too late… speak up”

Today, in the Komitas Park in Yerevan, the Mughdusian Center for the Arts placed 106 small and 44 large-sized dwarf tulips. The tulips symbolize the 106^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the 44-day war in Artsakh in 2020. The author of the art installation is painter Mariam Mughdusyan. The initiative was implemented jointly with the Nairyan Vocal Ensemble.

In an interview with WomenNet.am, the artist said that their target is a foreign audience, that is why today’s action was accompanied by an English text. The text is about silence, the silence of the countries that have not yet recognized the Armenian Genocide, have not made enough efforts to prevent the war. “Speak up, it’s time, it’s too late… Speak up,” is the voice of the artist, which is accompanied by performances by the Nairyan vocal ensemble.

“Tulips are a symbol of wars and murders all over the world. As we have targeted the international community, we should have chosen a symbol that will be easily understood by everyone,” explains Mariam Mughdusyan. “Our main message is not to be silent, but viewers can put in this the simbolics  they will see,” says Mariam Mughdusyan.

Today’s action was preceded by the publication of the video of the “Silence” art project of the Mughdusian Art Center. The video is a combination of sound, image and songs, with which the singers of the Nairyan Vocal Ensemble and Mariam Mughdusyan show the world how much Armenia pays for international silence.

Painter Mariam Mughdusyan came up with an innovative idea during the 2020 Artsakh war. In those days, both in Armenia and abroad, our compatriots organized various protest actions, marches, events to draw the attention of the international community to the military operations taking place in Artsakh. The most impressive and different of these actions was the bloody laundry spread in the Canadian capital Toronto, which also attracted the attention of foreign media.

The author of that art installation is Mariam Mughdusyan, who lived in Canada at that time. According to the artist, the laundry in the Canadian capital was an attempt to attract the attention of the international community

According to the artist, she was inspired by his visits to Artsakh, during which she noticed that in Stepanakert the custom of laundry outside is still preserved ․

Mariam Mughdusyan comes up with innovative ideas not only during the war. Recently, a solo exhibition of her paintings took place in Yerevan. The paintings depict women who have survived breast cancer. This series of paintings is a novelty not only for Armenia, but for the whole world.

Full text in Armenian

Arman Gharibyan

Photos by Lilit Kochinyan and Ani Katoki