[artinfo] Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation releases a statement

[e-flux]

October 01, 2020

A statement on the current crisis in the region

Launch events of the first Yerevan Biennial cancelled
October 1, 2020-January 17, 2021

In response to the current crisis originating in 
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and in respect of the 
victims of the conflict and their families, the 
Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation has decided to 
cancel the scheduled launch events of its Digital 
Biennial. We are mourning in particular civilian 
casualties.

In these tragic circumstances, after much 
discussion, we decided to unceremoniously make 
accessible to the public the first chapter of the 
2020-2021 Yerevan Biennial. The Digital Biennial 
is now online. If only symbolically, it is 
important to be present and show our humanity. We 
strongly believe that art, culture, education, 
and heritage play a vital role in the life of a 
country. In fact, they express the very essence 
of a people, as well as their intellectual 
vitality and uniqueness. Without art, culture, 
education, and heritage, our collective and 
individual identity is lost and the logic of war 
prevails.

We hope to resume further activity as soon as 
possible. Meanwhile, we pray for the 
de-escalation of the conflict and safety of the 
people. As UN-Secretary, António Guterres, 
recently stated: "To silence the guns, we must 
raise the voices for peace."

Yerevan, September 29, 2020

(We acknowledge that the situation is 
continuously evolving and circumstances might 
differ at the time of publication)

yerevanbiennial.org