The National Museum-Institute of Architecture hosted the opening of a photography exhibition titled “Artsakh is my home” today.

The exhibition features photographs taken by both professional photographers and Artsakh residents.

The 20-photo series narrates about the houses of Artsakh and the stories woven around them.

The museum director, Mark Grigoryan, told media.am that in October, Russian journalists Alexandra Livergrant and Ian Shenkman offered to create photo stories that would tell about the Karabakh tragedy.

“We requested Armenians from Artsakh to send us pictures of their homes. Afterward, journalists met with them to conduct interviews and gather information. They then processed the information and created photo stories. The houses are rich in ideology and tell fascinating stories. From the number of floors to who lived in which room and what attributes were present in the house, all of these details reveal the lifestyle, culture, and way of thinking of the people,” explained Grigoryan.

 Mark Grigoryan shared that all the heroes of the photo stories were asked the same question: what did they do with the keys after leaving their homes? The answers were different.

Mark Grigoryan emphasized that the exhibition aimed to show that the tragedy of what happened is not just a matter of numbers but a human tragedy.

Sevak Movsesyan, a resident of Berdashen village in the Martuni region, provided photos of his grandfather’s brick house built for his father and uncle.

“Our home meant everything to me. After the war of 2020, I cherished the peace and quiet of our garden, where only trees and birds could be heard. I served in the war until November. However, in November, we were hit hard by a drone. The injuries I sustained were severe. I suffered damage to my arm, both legs, back, lungs, and intestines. If it weren’t for our neighbor who rushed me to the hospital, I would not have survived,” recounted Sevak Movsesyan.

The exhibition will be open until the end of March.

Tigranuhi Martirosyan