On Sunday, April 26, the Gorky’s Gardeners Creative Action collective gathered at the Armenian Genocide Memorial Grove in Union Square, Manhattan, to commemorate the 111th anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide. The event served as a solemn yet inspiring memorial, blending performance art with community reflection to honor a painful historical legacy. The participating members included Aram Jibilian, Giorgio Handman, Linda Ganjian, Jesse Lambert, Hrag Vartanian, and Veken Gueyikian, along with additional performance participants Houri Guedelekian, Anoush Froundjian, Dalia Elsayed, Andrew Demirjian, and Alan Semerdjian.
The Performance and Procession
The commemoration began with a staged performance that moved through the heart of Union Square. Members of the Gorky’s Gardeners collective processed through the park carrying sculptures, creating a visual dialogue with the public space. While the official memorial plaque is located on the northeast corner of the park, the procession transitioned toward the opposite corner of the square, where the community gathered for the second phase of the action.
Poetry, Music, and Memory
The atmosphere shifted from the movement of the performance to a concentrated space of oral tradition and reflection. Participants shared original poetry, live music, and meaningful speeches.
The collective’s namesake, Arshile Gorky, remains one of the most significant figures in Armenian art history. The choice of location was particularly resonant not only because of the Memorial Grove but also due to Gorky’s own history in the neighborhood; his longtime studio was situated blocks away from the plaque in Union Square.
The event was less a celebration and more a “strong conversation”—a creative intervention designed to ensure that the beginning of the Armenian Genocide is neither forgotten nor silenced in the heart of New York City.