In Time of Flowers // Ծաղկման ժամանակ is a series of laser-etched cyanotypes, drawings, and corresponding Armenian proverbs. Proverbs are short, conversational phrases that provide moral guidance. American oral tradition holds many of these recurrent statements: “A picture is worth a thousand words,” “Still waters run deep.” Rooted in ancestral wisdom, these familiar phrases shape our language, and therefore our reality.

 

Each Armenian proverb in this project is written in a handwritten font sourced from a postcard by Sarkis Andonian – the artist’s great-grandfather. Because the entire Armenian alphabet is not present on the postcard, Trefney’s handwriting was used to fill in the gaps – merging the two sets of handwriting, nearly 100 years after the card was postmarked following the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. The artist transformed this postcard throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 Artsakh Genocide to help show that we owe so much continued care to each other, to the world. We also owe this to our ancestors, whose existence is not confined to the past.

 

This project represents the beginning of Trefney’s ongoing journey to learn the Eastern Armenian dialect and find comfort during times of isolation. While the use of familial handwriting is an act of perpetual care to the artist’s ancestors, Trefney’s goal is to create a meeting place in the present. Like pages torn from a diary, these artworks are intimate letters addressed to the viewer.

 

“From heart to heart there is a path.” – Armenian Proverb