Beirut 1963

Overview

The tragic fate of both one family and the Armenian people is expressed through the strikingly minimalist prism of one picture, whilst the resilience of identity and belonging is conveyed as the family sings 'Happy Birthday' in a sequence of languages - Armenian, Arabic, French, Dutch and English. By representing displacement in one constantly restoring image, Mekhitar Garabedian responds to the crossgenerational impact of diaspora and genocide with a performative act: the consoling process of continuously becoming. (argos centre for audiovisual arts)