First of all, dear Lucia, thank you for having us here today. It’s nice to see you again. Could you tell us a bit about this place? How long have you been living here, and do you currently live in Armenia?

So, I live between Vienna, Yerevan, and now also Florence. But I’ve been living in Armenia, in this flat, for the past six, seven years. I fully moved to Armenia in 2020 during COVID, and then I stayed here for some years. After that, I went back to Vienna. So, this flat is not my childhood home whatsoever, but I actually became very accustomed to it. It really became my home.

You mentioned moving here in 2020. Where did you grow up before that?

I was studying in Vienna at that time. Before that, I was working at the department store in Moscow with brands like Helmut Lang, Rick Owens for one year and saved some money, because I was actually one of the leading salespeople when I was 18. Then I used those savings to move to Vienna to study.

And what do you do in Vienna now?

I’m an artist, DJ and radio host. And I study there, still.

How did you decide to become a DJ?

It actually happened randomly, because I’ve always been into music. I was born and raised in a musical family. I played instruments, and I always wanted to be a radio DJ, a radio host. One day I was at a bar late at night, just before closing, and the owner asked me to put on some music. He liked it, and then I just started DJing at that bar. That’s how my DJ career started, in Vienna.

And has your musical background influenced that path?

Yes, my great-grandfather was the founder of Armenian jazz, the first Armenian jazz ensemble. His name was Tsovlak Vardazaryan. My grandfather is a composer and jazz musician. He wrote music for Armenian films, theater, etc., and he’s still active today. And my mom is also a musician.

Did you ever feel any pressure to pursue a career in music?

Actually, not. It’s weird, because in my generation, my cousins and I, none of us are musicians. I’m the closest to music as it gets. So I wasn’t really pressured, because I was also painting when I was a child. I still paint now, but not as intensely as I used to. At some point, I chose painting over music. And later, I even quit painting for a while.

You still paint today, could you tell us about this painting of the bathroom?

This painting, yes. It’s connected to my childhood. When I came to Armenia from Moscow, like every Moscow-born immigrant child to Yerevan, I spent entire summers at my grandfather’s apartment with my grandparents. These tiles are very unique to me, it’s this unfinished home renovation vibe. Some tiles are from the Soviet period, and some are from the 2000s. My grandfather was always smoking in the toilet. For me, it’s like this specific smell when you enter, the tiles, the small table with an ashtray, and him trying to cover the smell with some air freshener. I don’t know, it’s just very dear to me, this whole scenery. So I wanted to paint it. And yeah, there’s still his lit cigarette.

Your home is full of little objects and collectibles. When did you start collecting things, and what draws you to them?

I don’t know. I think it’s a bad habit.

Would you call it hoarding?

Yeah, maybe. I think it’s kind of hoarding. But now I try to get rid of stuff. As you grow, you realize it’s definitely not a good thing. But I like small objects, I like collecting trashy things that feel dear to me, or unique. I like things that seem to have a soul, or that signify someone’s life, story, or heritage. Like these taxi things, I can imagine someone threw them away after quitting taxi driving and moving to Russia to work again as a driver in the end.

You also have a radio show, or actually, two of them. Could you tell us more about that?

Yeah, I have a radio show on NTS Radio. It’s about Armenian music. I focus on researching Armenian music. It started with me going to the archives because of my great-grandfather’s and grandfather’s heritage. I helped a bit with digitizing the archive. I was there at the very beginning when they started digitizing 150,000 records. As a DJ and selector, I realized that there’s a lot of beautiful stuff being hidden, and I really wanted to bring it out. So I started making shows and now it has developed into a bigger project.

Is that why you have so many cassettes here?

It’s not only because of that. I actually have more vinyl records. But yes, now I’ve started collecting cassettes more, because it’s fun, it’s easy, and it’s a very interesting medium. On cassettes, I mostly have not underground, but not classical gems either, something more urban, folklore.

Your work also often references familiar Armenian visuals like your Noyan series. Could you tell us about that?

Yeah, it’s a very multi-layered work. It’s about Ararat, symbolism, and nostalgia. And also about the juice, it’s a taste, it’s a memory, and it’s also a movement. You’re squeezing it; you want to have the most of it, to finish it up. I don’t know, I just found it. The idea came to me randomly, I saw the juice, and I just started painting it. I liked it. Then I painted all the flavors in different forms. I’m doing a new series on Duet Coffee now, because Duet Coffee is also an iconic Armenian drink.

Yesterday, our jewelry designer, who we’re working with, was buying a Duet near the Gold Market. Never been a Duet drinker, I must admit. I always drink Armenian coffee at home.

Have you seen the TikTok videos about Duet?

Of course! That’s when I realized I was missing something.

To me, my painting ideas often come from popular culture, from Instagram or TikTok. I saw people making phone cases with Duet designs and thought, fuck it, I just have to paint it.

Tell us about your cat.

My cat is from the Marketplace website. We got her because my mum was sad after we lost our previous cat in a tragic accident. She’s from Nork. She was pregnant when someone found her, she came to someone’s home looking for shelter. They adopted her to help her through the pregnancy. Later, some Russian guys took her in and cared for her, but since they already had another cat, they had to give her away. So my parents got her when she was almost two years old and already had three kittens.

Why the name Bony?

I have no idea. It was the name given by her previous owners.

So she's a mother.

A mother, yes. And she also has something on her ear. We don’t know much about her. We can only guess from her behavior, because she seems sometimes traumatized by particular sounds or things. Maybe that’s from her past environment. But she’s very chill.

She seems very people-oriented too.

She’s very chill, and she likes to be around people.

When we were photographing on the balcony, we heard someone singing and you started recording. Do you often record sounds like that?

Yeah, I started recording.

Do you use those recordings later in your work?

Yes, sometimes. Not always.

In your radio shows too?

On some episodes, yes. For example, in my Lullabies project, I used my own field recordings — those were recorded consciously. But I enjoy soundscapes in general. I also did one project focused on soundscapes many years ago. I still do that quite often.

How often do you release new radio shows?

Every month. I have two radio shows. My second one is on Radio Alhara, where I mostly have guests now because it’s too much work to do alone. So yes, two monthly radio shows.

And which one is your favorite?

Panorama Yerevan, for sure. It’s my favorite show. My favorite project ever!

How often do you come to Armenia?

I come quite often, every three months on average, because of the cheap connections with Italy and Vienna as well.

Do you feel a need to come back to Yerevan often?

Yes, always.

Would you like to live here someday?

Yes. It’s not easy, but yes.

Thank you, Lucia, it was wonderful to visit your home and hear your story.

Thank you.