Remain in Light : Visions of Homeland and Diaspora

Photographs and poems illuminating the lives of Armenians at home and in diaspora

This collection endeavors to visualize the contemporary Armenian experience in the homeland and in Los Angeles, home to the largest Armenian population in diaspora. The first wave of immigrants came to California in the late 1800s; the second was spurred by the Armenian genocide of 1915. Further Armenian migrants, from Soviet Armenia, the Middle East, Iran, and other countries, continue to find solace, pride, and connection in the traditions, customs, religion, language, and memories they brought with them. Sossi Madzounian, Ara Mgrdichian, and Ara Oshagan, three diaspora-born Armenian artists living in Los Angeles, shared their perspectives on the life of their people in the old world and the new, illuminating the evolving social fabric of Armenian life: survival in the homeland, the immigrant experience in diaspora, and the rebirth of Armenian Americans on new soil. This book pairs their photographs with poems by Los Angeles-based poets Tina Demirdjian, Arminé Iknadossian, Arthur Kayzakian, Shahé Mankerian, and Raffi Joe Wartanian. The volume is a tribute to all these artists, and to Armenians across the globe.