The Ones Who Stayed

AGBU London presents The Ones Who Stayed, exploring Armenian life in Istanbul, with a 6pm fireside chat with Maral and Alexis.

An Exhibition on Contemporary Armenian Life in Istanbul

If we centered presence rather than absence, vitality over erasure, how would we see ourselves?

This question lies at the heart of The Ones Who Stayed, an exhibition exploring the Armenian community of Istanbul. The project challenges diasporic narratives that describe contemporary Armenian life in Turkey solely through the lens of catastrophe, inviting us to consider a different perspective. While loss remains a central theme, the history of continuous presence holds equal importance.

Through interviews with a diverse cross-section of Istanbul’s Armenian community and photographs documenting its complex and vibrant reality, The Ones Who Stayed offers an intimate portrait of a community whose stories, identities and experiences continue to shape Armenian life today.

AGBU London Chapter is delighted to bring The Ones Who Stayed to London, welcoming project founder Maral Tavitian and photographer Alexis Pazoumian for a special exhibition and conversation exploring the stories behind the project and the realities of contemporary Armenian life in Istanbul.

At 6:00 PM, join us for a fireside chat with Maral Tavitian and Alexis Pazoumian, as they share insights into the making of the exhibition, the stories of the people featured, and the importance of documenting Armenian presence, identity and continuity in Istanbul today.

Join us for an evening of photography, storytelling and discussion, offering an opportunity to engage with the people and experiences at the heart of this exhibition and to reflect on the meaning of Armenian presence, identity and continuity today.

📅 Sunday 22 November 2026

⏰ 5PM

📍The Old Street Gallery, 3 Leonard Circus, London EC2A 4DQ

💷 £15, includes a drink

The Ones Who Stayed is supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Western Armenian Culture Grant Program (արդ եւս / In View).

The exhibition features interviews with a diverse cross-section of Istanbul Armenian society and images that document their complex and vibrant reality.

The exhibition will be open to the public for viewing on Sunday, November 22 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM.

About the speakers

Alexis Pazoumian

Alexis Pazoumian (b. 1988) is a Paris-based director and photographer. The author of two books, Faubourg Tremé and Sacha, his long-term projects have been featured in The Washington Post, The Guardian, and National Geographic. His documentary work includes the Scam Star-winning Nagorno-Karabakh: Two Children in the War (Arte) and Black Garden (France Télévisions). He also directed Bellus (Canal+), which was selected for the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

Maral Tavitian

Maral Tavitian (b. 1995) is Managing Director of the Institute of Armenian Studies at the University of Southern California. She is a journalist whose work focuses on questions of diasporic identity, displacement, and belonging. Her writing has appeared in LA Weekly, Food & Wine, Care of Chan, and EVN Report, among other publications. She was born and raised in the Los Angeles Armenian diaspora to parents from Beirut and Tehran. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and juris doctorate from the University of Southern California.