cognishift.org COGNISHIFT INSIDER, VOL. 1, ISSUE 04/25
🎨 Painting Memory: An Interview with Mari Poghosyan
By Dr. Prashant Madanmohan
Founder, Cognishift.org | Editor-in-Chief, Cognishift Insider
“Art is the only language I trust to tell the truth about memory.”
– Mari Poghosyan
In the hushed stillness of her studio, surrounded by brushstrokes that breathe and canvases that speak, Armenian artist Mari Poghosyan paints not just what she sees, but what the world often forgets. Her works are visual chronicles of memory, threading together personal identity, cultural survival, and universal emotion.
As the co-founder of Cognishift.org and Vice President of Cultural Relations, Mari’s art is not merely decorative — it is philosophical, reflective, and purposeful. In this exclusive interview, she shares her inspirations, process, and how painting has become her act of resistance, remembrance, and reclamation.
🖌️ On Painting as a Vessel of Memory
Q: Your works are often described as memory made visible. How do you approach memory through art?
Mari:
For me, memory is not just something from the past — it is a living presence. Every brushstroke is a retrieval of something almost lost. Whether it’s a shadow of an Armenian monastery, the silhouette of a woman who resisted silence, or a forgotten corner of a Tamil temple, I try to bring memory into color and form. Art is how I grieve, heal, and remember.
🌍 Armenia, India, and the Unseen Threads
Q: You’ve painted across cultures — Armenia, India, France. How do these geographies influence your palette?
Mari:
All three cultures carry deep aesthetic wisdom, spiritual resilience, and silent endurance. In Armenia, I am rooted in heritage — the ruins of monasteries, the songs of survival. In India, I see movement — the fluidity of Bharatanatyam, the temples carved in stone. France gives me introspection and abstraction. The bridges between them come naturally when you paint with the heart — not with labels.
🕊️ On Artistic Responsibility and Cultural Voice
Q: Do you see yourself as a cultural ambassador through your art?
Mari:
I see myself as a messenger of feeling. If my art makes someone pause, reflect, or feel a connection to something bigger than themselves — be it their ancestry or a truth they’ve forgotten — then I’ve done my part. As an Armenian woman, my art also carries the responsibility of remembering a history that tried to be erased.
🎨 On Style, Symbolism, and Subjects
Q: Your style blends impressionism with symbolic realism. How do you choose your subjects?
Mari:
Some of them choose me. I see a face, a temple, a poem — and it stays with me until I translate it into form. I often paint women, dancers, ruins, and skies — because they all speak without words. I am drawn to the sacred and the silent — the things people walk past, but that continue to live deeply.
💫 Cognishift and the Artistic Renaissance
Q: As co-founder of Cognishift, how do you see art shaping the future of cross-cultural understanding?
Mari:
Cognishift is a dream of remembering together. In a world split by headlines, art can be the gentle bridge. Through exhibitions, collaborations, and books, we’re not just showcasing — we’re weaving narratives that show how France, India, Armenia, and others aren’t separate — they are echoes of each other. Art has the power to restore what politics and power have torn apart.
🌹 A Final Reflection
Q: What is the one truth your art always returns to?
Mari:
That memory is sacred, and beauty is its language. In every work, I try to hold a small part of what we must not forget.
🖼️ Featured Works
- “The Sentinel of Shared Light” – A tribute to cultural guardianship through visual storytelling
- “Bharatanatyam in the Temple of Silence” – A fusion of Tamil sculpture and Armenian soul
- “Notre-Dame in Ash and Gold” – A French elegy of light and rebirth
📍 Mari Poghosyan’s solo and thematic works will be on display at the upcoming Cognishift Art & Cultural Exhibition at Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai, May 11, 2025.
🔗 Explore more at www.cognishift.org
📍 Published in the May–June 2025 issue of Cognishift Insider
🖋️ All rights reserved with Cognishift.org
