Photographer Ara Oshagan Documents Armenian Diaspora Across Generations
Oshagan on photographing diaspora, crafting Artsakh portraits circa 2125
Photographer Ara Oshagan is exhibiting work that traces Armenian displacement across Los Angeles, Beirut, Artsakh, and Fresno at Fresno State University's Peters Ellipse Gallery through September 30. The exhibition, part of the university's Armenian Studies Program 50th anniversary celebration, combines Oshagan's decades-long documentation of diaspora communities with contemporary work depicting Artsakh survivors following the 2023 ethnic cleansing.
Oshagan's artistic approach spans traditional and emerging methods. He uses vintage bellows camera technology for his Fresno portraits, requiring a 10-minute process per photograph. For imagined Artsakh futures, he employs artificial intelligence to generate portraits of Armenians in 2125 on their ancestral lands. The exhibition explores themes of displacement, dislocation, and home-making within Armenian communities, combining photographs, collage, and survivor testimonies.
