Culture and art when do they unite, and when to do they divide? – Levan Abrahamian & Javanshir Kuliev

World famous film director Sergei Parajanov did not recognise ethnic or political boundaries and rejected ideological frameworks. He was a Soviet citizen of Armenian descent, born in Georgia, whom Ukrainian nationalists considered ‘their own’ for his work. His short artistic life, in between his prison sentences and disgrace, he spent creating art that drew heavily on Ukrainian, Georgian, Azerbaijani and Armenian ethnography.

As part of Yerevan and Baku Press Clubs’  ‘Line of Contact’ project, where Armenian and Azerbaijani experts go into dialogue, Armenian academic Levon Abrahamian and Azerbaijani composer Javanshir Kuliev recalled Prajanov’s work and exchanged thoughts on how two conflicting neighbours can become closer through culture.