October 17, 2001

WASHINGTON — Armenian artists whose work reflects on traumas stemming from the Armenian Genocide will now reach a larger audience, thanks to the Armenian National Institute’s (ANI) research for the Legacy Project, an initiative supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Hamburg Institute for Social Research.

With a mandate for the preservation, remembrance and education of how communities who have suffered major social traumas in the 20th century have expressed their emotions through art, the Legacy Project is providing a channel, via its Web site, for cultural expressions of loss. It now includes a collection of the artistic legacy of the Armenian experience provided by ANI.

The recently launched Web site for the Legacy Project, www.legacy-project.org, in its Armenian Genocide section features nearly 60 images created by Armenians across the globe. The area also includes a link to the ANI Web site for additional information.

ANI implemented the endeavor with the assistance of Dr. Dickran Kouymjian and specialists around the world who were assigned specific aspects in the collection and documentation process.

Among the Armenian artists included in the section are: Jacques Aslanian (France), Minas Avetissian, (Armenia), Robert Barsamian (U.S.), Vahe Barsoumian (France/Lebanon), Alex Berlian (France), Jean Carzou (France), Vahe Gasparyan (Armenia), Arshile Gorky (Armenia/U.S.), Paul Guiragossian (Lebanon), Annette Gurdjian (U.S.), Hagop Hagopian (Armenia), Ashot Hovhannesyan (Armenia), Sergei Hovsepyan (Armenia), Sargis Khachaturyan (Armenia), Hagop Khoubesserian (Canada).

The work of the Armenian artists is presented in the context and in relation to many of the other major traumatic events in the history of the 20th century, including the African Conflicts, Apartheid in South Africa, Cambodian Killing Fields, Chattel Slavery, Chinese History, Conflicts in the Balkans, Holocaust, India - Pakistan Partition, Indigenous Peoples, Indonesian Conflict, Korean War, Latin American Repression, Middle East Conflicts, Soviet Repression, Spanish Civil War, Sri Lankan Conflict, Vietnam War, World War I, World War II in Asia and World War II in Europe.

“This is the first time that the full range of modern Armenian art has been viewed from the perspective of traumas experienced as a result of the Armenian Genocide,” said ANI Director Dr. Rouben Adalian. “Research conducted by the Armenian National Institute revealed the extent and depth of those directly or indirectly affected by the events. It is our hope that by including these images in a Web-based collection such as the Legacy Project that many more people will come to understand the enduring consequences of the historical tragedies of the 20th century.”

The Armenian National Institute is dedicated to the study, research, and affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. Visit its web site at .