The Power of Emptiness: Talking with Stones in Historical Armenia

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YEREVAN, Armenia – On March 24th, Brazilian-Armenian photographer Norair Chahinian led a public presentation about his photographic journey through the Armenian past. The presentation was followed by a Q&A session.

Norair Chahinian spent four years photographing the Armenian legacy in central and eastern Turkey (Western Armenia). An exhibition of his photographs went on display in Istanbul to commemorate the centennial of the Armenian Genocide in 2015.

Born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1979, Norair Chahinian’s Armenian roots are from Urfa, Mush, Iskenderun, and Kessab. Chahinian took up photography during his college years, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Avedis Shahinian who had established a photo studio in Aleppo after the Armenian Genocide. He earned a degree in architecture from Mackenzie University in 2001, followed up by graduate work in aesthetics and history of art from the University of São Paulo in 2007.

A portfolio of Chahinian’s works may be found on: norair.com.br.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides US-style education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.