Anahid, Goddess of Fertility
Watercolour on Paper, 45 x 60 inches, 2025.
Fertility is a violent and bloody affair, far from the gentle femininity often ascribed to it. This tension is at the core of Anahid, the first piece in my series reimagining Armenian female goddesses from pre-Christian times.
This piece is the first of an ongoing series in which I reimagine pre-Christian Armenian goddesses through a contemporary lens. These mythic figures—once erased by Armenia’s early adoption of Christianity—are reclaimed here as powerful archetypes of womanhood, resilience, and transformation. You can explore the other goddesses in the series, Nané, Anoush and Spandaramet.
In Anahid, the Goddess of Fertility holds a melting sun in her hands, her hair flowing like water to enrich the fertile lands of Ararat—a sacred symbol for Armenians. From her robes, a pomegranate bursts violently, its red seeds symbolizing both creation and the inherent violence of life. This vivid interplay of vitality and destruction captures the complexity of fertility as both a force of life and a source of struggle.
March 2025
VAV Gallery, Montreal, Qc
Anchor was a group exhibition part of Art Matters Festival: North America’s largest student-run festival held in galleries all over Montreal that takes place in March. Anchor invites viewers to reflect on their own anchors and the ways art can illuminate paths to stability and hope. Featuring works by nine artists, including the first piece of the Armenian Goddess series, Anahid, Goddess of Fertility by Marie Khediguian.