The exhibition for the first time tells an intermedia story of the unfading fascination with the ruins of Ani. Located in Eastern Turkey near the closed border with Armenia, and having evolved from a real into an imagined place, the medieval, now ruined Armenian capital city of Ani has generated complex configurations of collective memory and social relations. Mythologized as the city of one thousand and one churches, it has served as a source of varied identities in Armenia, and in the Armenian diaspora, while carrying ambiguous valences within the internally varied Ottoman and contemporary Turkish societies. By bringing into conversation objects never displayed together, from the early photographs and films to graffiti and from poems to video games, the exhibition cherishes the creative power of Ani ruins that have inspired artists, scholars, and visitors across time, cultures, and political borders.
Curators:
Karen Jallatyan, Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), Leipzig
Konrad Siekierski, Free University, Berlin
Organizational Team: Judit Kodolányi, Bálint Kovács, Anna Ortmann, Ágnes Reviczky-Balogh, Krisztián Szabó
Graphic Design: Lilla Makk