Hrag Vartanian
Forbidden Sign Protest

October 23 to November 26, 2023

A few months ago, Hrag Vartanian was originally offered the space to do something related to the genocidal blockade of Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, in current-day Azerbaijan. At the time he replied, “Sure, but I hope it’s still around by then.”

Sadly, the dictatorship of Azerbaijan attacked and forced out the 100,000+ indigenous residents in late September, emptying the area of its Armenian population for the first time since recorded history. The democratically elected government of the people of Artsakh is currently in exile.

He decided to change the message and focus, and created “Forbidden Protest Sign” (2023), which is about those things in democratic societies that are often curtailed and banned for various reasons.