Exhibition “Interconnection: Father and Daughter Faridany” — Memory, Generations, and Family Ties

Do you know how many Armenian names have been forgotten under the layers of time, as if buried in desert sands? And yet, those names continue to live on — in other countries, in the memory of other peoples. One such name is Nikol Faridany, a photographer once hailed in Iran as the “father of modern photography,” whose works, however, remained unseen in his homeland for many years. That is why Yerevan has opened the exhibition “Interconnection: Father and Daughter Faridany” — a reminder that memory can be revived, and the voice of art always finds its way to the viewer.

“I felt it was necessary to present Faridany because he was unjustly forgotten as an artist. In Iran, his works hadn’t been exhibited for 15 years, and I thought it was important to show them here, in his homeland. I believe we succeeded,” exhibition curator Anahit Koryun told NEWS.am STYLE.

On September 23, the Tekeyan Center opened its doors to the exhibition “Interconnection: Father and Daughter Faridany.” The audience was diverse — Iranians and Armenians, students and older generations, photography enthusiasts and those simply curious to touch the legacy of a master. Over half a century, Nikol created more than 60,000 photographs, thousands of them documenting Iranian Armenian settlements. The Yerevan exhibition presents his black-and-white works from the 1950s–1970s: stark deserts, architectural landmarks, and portraits of Iranians captured with both love and precision.

Curator Anahit Koryun explained that preparing the exhibition took nine months. “We selected only 60 photographs — a symbolic number, just a fragment of his immense legacy. I deliberately focused only on his black-and-white works. Nikol himself used to say that black-and-white is the essence of the genre. It felt right to bring that vision back to the audience — strict, honest, and profound,” she said.

Yet the exhibition is not only about nostalgia, but also about dialogue across generations. Nikol’s daughter, Catherine Faridany, who lives in Canada, presented her project “Interconnected.” It explores the journey of water in the metropolis — from underground sources to the tap in every home.

“At first I wanted to show my photographs of Iran, because I traveled there for five months with my father,” Catherine shared. “But my mother said: you must present this project, because it is different. And in this contrast lies the meaning: my artistic voice is still intertwined with my father’s. It’s impossible to grow up in a home surrounded by his photographs and not be influenced by them.”

She admitted that her works are more educational than emotional, designed to spark reflection. “Most people don’t think about the fact that a liter of tap water costs just a few cents, while bottled water costs a dollar. And then the plastic ends up in the oceans. I wanted to show that the invisible infrastructure we rely on every day is just as valuable as the deserts my father photographed.”

Still, she acknowledged, Nikol’s works evoke far stronger emotions: “Those who love their country feel deep nostalgia when looking at his photographs. I’ve lived in Canada, Bulgaria, South Korea, and, of course, Iran. But when I look at these pictures, I think: if I could go back tomorrow, I would.”

It is symbolic that the joint exhibition opened in Armenia. “For me, this is deeply meaningful,” Catherine admitted. “To see my works alongside my father’s here for the first time — it is both moving and heartfelt.”

The significance of the event was also emphasized by Mohammad Asadi Mohavedi, Cultural Center advisor at the Embassy of Iran in Armenia: “It gives me great joy to be here today, among friends of Armenia. This exhibition is truly inspiring. It is one thing to read about an artist in books, but another to see his works with your own eyes. And I want to say this: if you haven’t yet been to Iran — go. We are neighbors, and being neighbors is not just geography, it is mutual understanding.”

His words reflected the essence of Nikol Faridany’s photography, which captured what unites people and lands: deserts, mountains, faces, traditions. His photographs became a kind of “eyes of Iran” — and now, a bridge between two neighboring nations.