Registration and Activities of Student Self-governing activities

*

Charity invites artists to small town in northern Armenia

*

Locals welcome new venture after years of post-Soviet decay

By Roman Churikov

TUMANYAN, Armenia, Oct 9 (Reuters) - A disused Armenian textile factory has become a sanctuary for artists and other emigres from Russia, Iran and Ukraine whose lives have been turned upside down by war or political turmoil.

Abandoned workshops that once produced Soviet knitwear have been turned into a creative space for painters, puppet-makers and photographers in a venture that is helping to revitalise a town in decline.

Launched in 2022, the project is called Abastan - "shelter" in Armenian - and is open to participants and guests from around the world.

Polina Ivanova, a co-founder of Abastan, said locals in the northern Armenian town of Tumanyan were at first bemused by the strangers in their midst.

"I think that for many people this was really incomprehensible: who are those people? Why are they here?...

"And slowly, sometimes through public events like theatre performances, sometimes through personal relationships, we get to know the people and people get to know us."

Arghavan Majd, a painter from Iran, said she found the atmosphere "more free" in Abastan and it was easier to make personal connections.

Since Majd left Iran, the country has been convulsed by protests over the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody, and she said she had no intention of going back.

ESCAPING 'BAD NEWS'

Torfeh Ekhlasi, a puppet maker also from Iran, said she had felt "completely paralysed by bad news" there, "but here all the people are so alive".

Danil, a software engineer from the Russian city of Perm, said he left after President Vladimir Putin called up 300,000 men last year to fight in the war in Ukraine.

"I simply didn't agree with the political agenda in the country and thought that it was dangerous to stay in Russia given my views," he said.

Abastan was established as a charity with funds from an American-Armenian philanthropist who has chosen to remain anonymous. When Reuters journalists visited last month, there were a couple of dozen people in residence - three Iranians, two Ukrainians, an Armenian, a Georgian and the rest from Russia.

Some live on savings or money from relatives, others sell their art or work online - though one Russian said that source of income had dried up.

"At first I worked remotely. And then my company was told that it was undesirable for staff to work from abroad, so they rehired me as a freelancer. Since then I haven't received any salary yet," Danil said.

Timofey Moskovkin, a Russian now working in a cafe funded by the charity, said local people in Tumanyan, a town of about 1,000 people, had treated him warmly.

"In spite of the general context of what's happening in the world, bathroom renovation sydney cost and with Russia, people here are still very welcoming," he said. "I feel good here."

Ararat, a local Armenian man who declined to give his last name, said the arts venture had brought joy to a place that had seen factory closures, unemployment and emigration since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

One evening, he and his wife were walking past the factory. "We looked and saw the lights were on, it was beautiful, there was music and young people dancing," he said. (Writing by Mark Trevelyan Editing by Gareth Jones)


Advertisement

List of Articles
No. Subject Author Date Views
20190 Bahis Dünyasında 2024'e Bakış: Güvenilir Siteler, Bonuslar Ve Yeni Trendler new ShantellGumm04588446 2025.08.30 5
20189 Canlı Bahis Dünyasına Giriş: Bilmeniz Gereken Her Şey new SuzanneMangum3233 2025.08.30 2
20188 Your Worst Nightmare About Criminal Law And Immigration Law Are Separate — But When They Collide The Consequences Can Be Life-changing Come To Life new EmileAlfonso221067 2025.08.30 0
20187 How To Get Hired In The Bone Grafting Industry new MarilynnByars2854686 2025.08.30 0
20186 2025 Yılında Türkiye'deki Bahis Ve Casino Dünyası: Rehber Ve İncelemeler new EdgardoOldham146 2025.08.30 2
20185 Why You Should Forget About Improving Your Dental Procedures new DavisSwart216125875 2025.08.30 0
20184 The Urban Dictionary Of Showers Can Be Easier To Get In And Out Of Making Them A Wise Choice For Accessibility new Tina13O189579378 2025.08.30 0
20183 Türkiye'deki Online Bahis Ve Casino Sektörüne Genel Bakış: 2024-2025 new RudolphLenk8400670191 2025.08.30 0
20182 Online Bahis Dünyasına Genel Bakış: 2025 Trendleri Ve Güvenlik İpuçları new WilmaBayldon16723030 2025.08.30 0
20181 Online Bahis Dünyası: 2024-2025 Rehberi Ve Güvenilir Platformlar new HermelindaNeumayer44 2025.08.30 3
20180 14 Questions You Might Be Afraid To Ask About Facial Rejuvenation new TLQSebastian700668 2025.08.30 0
20179 Canlı Bahis Dünyasına Giriş: Güvenilir Siteler, Bonuslar Ve Mobil Deneyimler new Keesha94S39964321 2025.08.30 0
20178 15 Best Blogs To Follow About Sedation Dentistry new Shaunte06R745015169 2025.08.30 0
20177 Canlı Bahis Ve Casino Platformlarının Gözlemlenmesi: Türkiye Pazarı İncelemesi new LouellaBroyles691 2025.08.30 4
20176 Online Bahis Dünyasına Genel Bakış: 2024-2025 Rehberi new Dorothy45T9557594 2025.08.30 2
20175 Программа Веб-казино Kush Casino Сайт На Андроид: Максимальная Мобильность Гемблинга new ChristopherOvk41 2025.08.30 2
20174 Why Can’t I Open An FFF File? Common Issues & Fixes new Tessa1181607179 2025.08.30 0
20173 10 Wrong Answers To Common Preventive Dentistry Questions: Do You Know The Right Ones? new GretaRosenthal549 2025.08.30 0
20172 Tohla new NoellaRowan7863 2025.08.30 0
20171 The Most Common Complaints About Choosing Styles With Glass Cabinet Doors Can Help Create A Brighter More Open Feel In Your Kitchen, And Why They’re Bunk new SelmaHudd3353645955 2025.08.30 0
Board Pagination Prev 1 ... 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 ... 1080 Next
/ 1080