«Բիծ» - Antoine Agoudjian-ի հետ հարցազրույց

Introduction and Context
The author presents her subject as one of the few contemporary masters remaining faithful to black-and-white photographic technique in the digital age. Agudjian, who lives in the Armenian suburb of Paris, Alfortville, is a third-generation descendant of Genocide survivors from Erzurum, Istanbul, and Kütahya. The article traces the photographer's creative path: from his first album, "Fire Under Ice," created after the earthquake in Armenia, to a series of photo-reportages that the author himself calls "the project of his life" — journeys to sites of Armenian historical memory (Jerusalem, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Western Armenia, Javakhk, Karabakh).

Key Themes of the Interview

Family memory and identity. Agudjian speaks about the influence of the stories told by his grandparents — witnesses to the Genocide — on the formation of his worldview, as well as about the peculiarities of a diaspora "Armenian upbringing," lacking formal national education but immersed in an Armenian environment through dance, camps, and friendships.
The path to photography. His professional choice is presented as the result of chance encounters and travels rather than a conscious decision; the turning point was a humanitarian mission to Armenia after the 1988 earthquake, which led to the creation of the "Pyunik" children's shelter and his first book.
Perception of Armenia. The photographer emphasizes the absence of disillusionment upon encountering the real Armenia, unlike many diaspora members who idealize the country. He describes a sense of kinship with all Armenians regardless of their country of residence as a manifestation of a shared historical fate.
Historical memory and the Genocide. Central to the conversation is the theme of the non-recognition of the Armenian Genocide, with parallels drawn to the situation of the Armenian community in Javakhk, where, according to Agudjian, features of the life of Western Armenians before 1915 are being reproduced — economic pressure, attempts to appropriate church heritage.
Working method. Agudjian explains that his photo-reportages are built on the search for symbolic places connected to the history of the Armenian people, with the participation of historian-consultants; a key episode was the discovery of human remains in the Syrian desert at the confluence of the Khabur and Euphrates rivers — a site of mass burials of Genocide victims.

Conclusion
The abstract concludes by noting that Antoine Agudjian's work is not an ethnographic documentation of the Armenian diaspora, but an artistic reflection on the collective memory of the Armenian people, in which the photographer's personal experience is inextricably linked to historical trauma and the ongoing struggle for recognition of the Genocide. The article also cites an assessment of Aguджian's work given by Charles Aznavour, who noted the photographer's unique ability "to see Armenia anew" through the eyes of an attentive and loving observer.