Avetik Isahakyan and China: Public Lecture and Exhibition Opening

In the house-museum of the renowned Armenian poet Avetik Isahakyan (1875–1957), among his manuscripts and books, stand small figurines from East Asia—Buddhist statues, Daoist deities, and images of Chinese sages. These objects, often overlooked as mere decoration, tell a story that goes far beyond aesthetics. Isahakyan, like many Armenian intellectuals of his generation, was deeply engaged with the cultural and philosophical traditions of the East, a fascination reflected in his poem Abu Lala Mahari. What is less known, however, is that this engagement was not merely literary—it was material. He collected. He displayed. And through these objects, he constructed a dialogue with China that unfolded not in books, but in the intimate space of his own home. This collection has never been studied as a coherent whole. Drawing on rare archival materials preserved in the house-museum, this lecture uncovers that hidden narrative for the first time. Through these objects, Isahakyan created a meeting of civilizations—a space where Armenian poetry and Chinese philosophy, Soviet modernity and ancient wisdom, could coexist in quiet conversation.
Speaker: Ani Margaryan, PhD in Art History; Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Art, Soochow University; Member of the Armenian Society of Fellows, the Society for Armenian Studies, and the Art Committee of the World Eco-Design Organisation; Founder of ChinArmArt; Co-founder of ChinArmNet; Diaspora Youth Ambassador to China, 2024–2025.

Date: August 22, 2026

Yerevan Time: 11:00

China Time: 15:00

Location: Avetik Isahakyan House-Museum