We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ruzanna Hanesyan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ruzanna below.

Ruzanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In September 2020, a war broke between Azerbaijan and Artsakh. Many of us were far away from family and home, and I began my weaving as the fallen soldiers names were published each day.

In memoriam

Elegy was born from that experience of solitude and grief, it is a poem of reflection, a lament for the dead. In the beginning of the creation of the piece, names were stitched very close together, not meant to be legible. This created a landscape with the names, a parallel Arstakh landscape. A place to return back, mimicking how in my mind I would return back to Armenia— home.

As the losses escalated, I realized I wanted to memorialize not just the land loss, but the lives lost, and I wanted to dedicate this wholly to those people and their families. This meant stitching the names in a legible way for those who read Armenian.

Ruzanna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was raised in Armenia and most of my childhood and teen life I have always been interested in craft. I was not raised in the household with traditional crafts. I acquired those skills later on when I was pursuing my BA in art, in Los Angeles. When I would reference Armenian craft or symbols I would not necessarily do what traditional craftsman would do. For example, Armenian needle lace: Janyak, comes with specific circular shape and design. Traditionally flat on the surface and two dimensional I became interested in knots of needle lace around my feet, mimicking, sculpting the shape. Emphasizing the etherealness of the craft and its process.

Being away from home and going back and forth between Armenia and Los Angeles has a huge influence on my work. It speaks to the process of returning to my childhood sanctuary and memories which become distorted. I begin to feel myself distant from the community and life in Armenia because my life and work reside in Los Angeles.
I think showing my pieces in Los Angeles, and the return to my homeland through traditional crafts has become more about what you can take with you.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist working in traditional craft— embroidery and textile, is the deep connection to history and culture of craft, but most importantly how it relates to us now. When sharing the craft we tell stories of generations of artist. In 2020 when I was learning the embroidery technique with an online community of Armenian embroiders I felt the presence of hands that practiced with me. Being part of this community offers opportunities for collaboration, learning, and growth. It is the ability to create something truly handmade and unique. Embroidery often involves meticulous handwork and time which makes it meaningful practice of making/creating not because I want to but because it is necessary. Coming from the place of care and fragility.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the lessons I had to unlearn as an artist is letting go of the standard or the attempt to fit my work and vision into the art market. When I first opened my Etsy store I had a clash between trying to fit my work into the market and convey the story of what my work is about. The minute I realized that I am making for the market I stopped and returned back to why I work with craft and my vision rather than trying to fit into other visions that already exist. That’s a significant lesson to have learned and unlearned as an artist. It’s common for artists to face the challenge of balancing their personal vision and expression with the demands and expectations of the art market. The art market can be saturated with various styles and trends, making it tempting to conform to what is currently popular or commercially successful. What have helped me grow is the community around my work, by sharing my vision and connection with my history bridging together two worlds that I have learned to love and cherish.      

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ruzannahanesyan.com/
• Instagram: rouzy9
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruzanna-hanesyan-2011bb93