“Room” (Սենյակ) (2021) – single channel experimental video art
Duration: 00:15:22. Original language: Armenian
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Italian
Distribution: Vidéographe Artist Run Centre, Montreal
Trailer full work available on Vithéque
Q&A with Vidéographe Artist Run Centre, Montreal, QC
Anna Grigorian’s experimental project “Room” (Սենյակ [sɛnˈjɑk] ) reflects on the issues of violence and murder cases of women through the dry text of judicial acts and series of choreographed actions. While the factual data used in the video is directly taken from the realities of Armenia, gender-based oppression and violence reaching physical retaliation and murder are ongoing and widespread, making the work relevant across countries.
The monotonous, calm recital of the murder cases is accompanied by a series of choreographed performativie actions staged by the artist, creating an allegorical space where the discourses on gender, boundaries of the body, and patriarchal order are deliberated upon through artistic expression. The texts are excerpts from judicial acts, taken from DataLex Judiciary Portal, and translated into English.
Support acknowledgment: Arts and Cultural Studies Laboratory Artist in Residence program (Armenia), and the Canada Council for the Arts (Canada).
SCREENINGS
2024 Room/Սենյակ – Bronx World Film Winter Cycle 13th Edition, New York City, USA. Founder, Curator and Executive Director: Walter Krochmal. Invited work for the 13th edition of the festival. January 2024
2023 Room/Սենյակ – VOX centre de l’image contemporaine, Vidéographe x VOX Expo : Bryony Dunne and Anna Grigorian, PROGRAMMING Curator: Dominique Sirois-Rouleau Montreal, Canada. October 2023
2023 Room/Սենյակ – “One Shot” Film Festival, Curator: Gagik Ghazareh. Yerevan, Armenia. June 2023
2023 Room/Սենյակ – Pebbles Underground Film and Video Art, Official Selection, Jury Award. Online 2 week programming, Organizers: Pebbles Underground team, VisualContainerTV, April 2023
2022 Room/Սենյակ – The Arthouse Film Festival, Austin, Texas United States Curators Liz Tabish & Giselle De La Rosa. Official Selection, December 2022
2022 Room/Սենյակ – LA Underground Film Forum, Los Angeles, United States. Organisers: Underground Film Society, Official selection, July 2022
2022 Room/Սենյակ – FEMINISM CORPOREAL International Festival, Yerevan, Armenia. Official Selection. Curator: Susanna Gyulamiryan, co-curators: FemLibrary Armenia, March 2022
2021 Room/Սենյակ – Yerevan Modern Art Museum, with support of Canada Council for the Arts and Art and Cultural Studies Laboratory “Art Commune” International Artist in Residence Program, video screenings and discussions in Yerevan, Armenia, June-July 2021
