Erhan Arik - Horovel and The Armenian Genocide | Ep 509, Jan 22, 2026

Episode Summary

Bedros Afeyan speaks with photographer and photojournalist Erhan Arik about the personal shock that drove him to make Horovel, his long-term work with elderly Armenians in Armenia whose families came from historic Armenian regions, and the ethical choices involved in witnessing, listening, and photographing. They then discuss the return journey that became Ojakh with Diana Mkrtchyan, how authorship changes when the camera and narrative belong to someone else, and what it means to become a character in another person’s film. The conversation broadens to Gayan, Erhan’s Middle East work across several countries, and how Armenian identity, memory, and community adapt across different political and social contexts. They close with Erhan’s current documentary project Our Seeds (Tohum), using the story of an ancient wheat seed tradition as a metaphor for inheritance, rupture, and continuity.