The two-day workshop and one-day conference Arts in Uncertain Times organised in May 2023 at the HayArt Center in Yerevan offered a practice-oriented space for Armenian artists and cultural workers who self-identify as socially engaged and/or attempt to contribute to a peaceful future.

During and after conflicts, artists engage in different ways and through different lenses. While this platform focused on the “NOW”, discussions were based on understanding the nonlinear developments in the past years (e.g., the Velvet Revolution in 2018, the beginning of the Karabakh war in the fall 2020).

The most important questions in the discussions over the three days included: How do recent and ongoing artistic activities in Armenia deal with the political tensions and the ongoing conflict? Which forms of social engagement do Armenian artists consider meaningful now? Do artists reach their aims? What role for diaspora and international or foreign entities would Armenian artists and collectives consider meaningful?