Instagram story viewer> @spawnofmasha> Tagged
Masha(@spawnofmasha)'s profile avatar HD Profile

Masha

@spawnofmasha

undefined
POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED
recent creations ~*~*~ - - - - - - #art#oilpainting#fairypainting#ethereal
4
Download
This piece is titled LUTFIEH BILEMJIAN. It is a portrait 17 year old Lutfieh Bilemjian pictured in the second slide who was forced into sex slavery during and after the Armenian genocide. The text in the background is Armenian and is a poem from the famous Armenian writer William Saroyan. It says “I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose history is ended, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, whose literature is unread, whose music is unheard, whose prayers are no longer uttered. Go ahead, destroy this race. Let us say that it is again 1915. There is war in the world. Destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them from their homes into the desert. Let them have neither bread nor water. Burn their houses and their churches. See if they will not live again. See if they will not laugh again. See if the race will not live again when two of them meet in a beer parlor, twenty years after, and laugh, and speak in their tongue. Go ahead, see if you can do anything about it. See if you can stop them from mocking the big ideas of the world, you sons of bitches, a couple of Armenians talking in the world, go ahead and try to destroy them.” During the Armenian genocide countless women and children were kidnapped and sold into sex slavery. Their stories went untold and forgotten in history as the time passed. I wanted to bring awareness to the atrocities committed during the early 20th century in Armenia. The Armenian genocide is the first recorded genocide of the 20th century often denied due to the power turkey holds in the international arena. The markings on Lutfieh are tattoos that symbolize every time she was sold to a new owner. Sexual violence against women is a taboo topic in Armenia as it is uncomfortable and painful to talk or hear about. But what happens in the dark must always come to light. This is probably one of my most emotional pieces. I am very proud of how this piece came out. I believe that I was able to capture the sadness within her eyes and it scares me how hollow they appear. ~ ~ ~ ~ #art #armenia #artist #painting
5
Download
I am super proud to share my finished rug. I started this piece back in the beginning of my senior year of high school for my final art portfolio and now I am a senior in college 😭. It took five years to complete. I obviously wasn’t working on the piece for five years straight more so I would pick it up whenever I remembered it existed. Words cannot describe how proud I am of this piece. It is genuinely the best thing I have created, my magnum opus. In terms of meaning my senior portfolio was centered around my Armenian heritage. The centuries of beautiful art that my people have created resonated with me and allowed for me to connect with my culture in a new way. Having been raised in the United States I feel isolated from my people. There are many nuances to community that get lost when your family decides to immigrate. Although I am grateful for the opportunities allotted to me just being raised in America, I can’t help but feel a sadness about a life I missed out on. Especially as someone who speaks very broken Armenian and Russian there is a disconnect for me when speaking with my family abroad or interacting with diaspora Armenians. Rug making in Armenia dates back to pre Christian times, some historians claim back to the 7th century bc and further. Armenian carpets are unique “texts” composed of the ornaments where sacred symbols reflect the beliefs and religious notions of our ancestors. In creating this piece I put my heart and soul into it. The various years in which I worked on it every thread was woven with the emotion I was feeling at that time. The time it took attests to the love it was made with and the love that has been passed down through generations. I wish my grandmother would be able to see it but Ik she’s looking down proud of the tradition I continued. Instagram wouldn’t let me yap too much so scroll to the end to see my finished caption. I wish I took more progress pics but enjoy the few I have. Picking the song was the hardest part but I settled on a happy Armenian song about a Yerevan girl (the city I’m from so basically a song about me lol) (Side note if you read all this I love you) ~ ~ ~ ~ #art #rug #artist #armenia #fiberart
29
Download
back to up