October 06, 2015
The lost voices of the 20th century's first genocide return to Istanbul
Istanbul (CNN). Francis Alys' film The Silence of Ani begins with the rustling of wind through a breathtaking city that now lies in ruins. In the ancient stone, we see eagles carved out, and slowly a melody of birdcalls rises to crescendo -- revealed…
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September 25, 2015
A conversation with Veronika Zonabend
Along with husband Ruben Vardanyan, Veronika Zonabend is the founder of Dilijan Art Initiative, which is a new project for the IDeA (Initiatives for Development of Armenia) Charitable Foundation, also set up by Vardanyan and Zonabend.
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September 22, 2015
A Pinch with Salt: A Report from the 14th Istanbul Biennial
My first impression of the 14th Istanbul Biennial, Saltwater: A Theory of Thought Forms, was that its curator (or “drafter”), Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev (CCB), must dislike her audience. If this is indeed the case, it would be a terrible shame for the…
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September 18, 2015
Veronika Zonabend: IDeA and Scholae Mundi launch new joint educational projects
UWC Dilijan College welcomed 94 new students this year. As of now, 190 students from 63 countries study at the college. In May 2016, UWC Dilijan will have its first graduates, and the college founders are ready to help them continue their education. Mediamax…
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September 11, 2015
Futile in the face of so much suffering: Anny Shaw on the Istanbul Biennial
The Art Newspaper. Against the backdrop of an escalating Syrian refugee crisis and renewed bloody clashes between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Turkish government, the 14th Istanbul Biennial, Saltwater: a Theory of Thought Forms, opened last week. The…
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September 04, 2015
Istanbul Biennial commemorates Armenian genocide
The 14th Istanbul Biennial, Saltwater: a Theory of Thought Forms, opened this week amid calls for all participating artists to suspend their work for 15 minutes in support of Turkey’s Kurdish minority. A ceasefire between Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)…
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September 02, 2015
Istanbul Biennial’s response to the festering wounds
The press conference of 14th Istanbul Biennial, which will open its doors to visitors on next Saturday, was held at Italian High School on September 2. Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the curator of the biennial, made a long opening speech in Turkish and…
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August 12, 2015
Reviving Armenia's "Switzerland" Resort Town of Dilijan
Article by Jackie Abramian in the Huffington Post
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July 08, 2015
A Public Challenge: Find Humanity in the Inhumane
The nomination of candidates for Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity established by Ruben Vardanyan, Noubar Afeyan and Vartan Gregorian has started.
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May 29, 2015
Q&A: Ruben Vardanian, Russia's Armenian Financier Turned Philanthropist
On one side of Ruben Vardanian's open-plan office hangs a wall-size photograph of an Armenian mountain panorama. If you look closer you can see — in the center of the photo — a tiny figure of a man in a yellow sweater, with his back to the photographer,…
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