Didem Yıldırım. Photo: Bulut Renas

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Didem Yıldırım will tell us about her artistic research on the Ruins of Ani, an endeavour that confronts her own colonial heritage. She will also present a film that is one of the outcomes of her research.

Ani was a medieval Armenian city situated in what is now the Turkish province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia. Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of the Bagratid Armenian kingdom which covered much of present-day Armenia and eastern Turkey. At its height, it was the largest city in the world. The Ruins of Ani is a widely recognized cultural, religious, and national heritage symbol for many Armenians.

Didem will also talk about her involvement in a recent project at the National Museums of World Culture. A project that aims to challenge the colonial histories of museums and address critical issues surrounding colonialism, colonial objects, and the processes of decolonization within museums.

Didem Yıldırım is a writer, researcher, and exhibition producer from Ankara, currently working as a producer and project manager at the National Museums of World Culture. With a diverse background in various artistic fields, she has been active in the Swedish art scene since 2016 and is based in Stockholm. In addition to her work in exhibition production, she occasionally writes for various magazines, both in Sweden and internationally.

Ani - a medieval Armenian city situated in what is now the Turkish province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia. Photo: Bulut Renas.