One of the significant works presented at the “Borders” exhibition, initiated by the “Mkhitar Sebastatsi” Educational Complex at the Artists’ Union of Armenia, was “Childlike Face” by Swedish artist Malin Bengtsson.” The big puppet on stage, showing a woman with a childlike face, looked like a toy at first. But in fact, it was a symbol of ignored women’s rights. The work pointed to the violations of women’s rights that start from an early age.

This work was created at the “Mkhitar Sebastatsi” Educational Complex. Malin Bengtsson is convinced that art, whether in schools or in extracurricular settings, becomes a space of freedom for children: it frees them from notions of “right” and “wrong” and teaches them to think differently. “When you create, even if it is something small, you feel your own strength. You realize that you can change something. Art teaches you to be free and to find your own path”, she says.

Bengtsson has experience in Sweden with engaging adolescents in art. She is involved in state educational programs where young people take part in public art projects. She explained that, at times, local authorities organize art initiatives in such a way that participating children receive a symbolic payment. During the summer months, for instance, schoolchildren can join city art initiatives, creating works in public spaces and thus leaving their mark on the city. “When you contribute to a public space where you live, it becomes yours. You become less aggressive, more caring. This is not only a creative experience but also a form of civic participation”, the artist emphasizes.

The work “Childlike Face” recalled the borders that history has drawn for women. Yet, as the artist notes, this piece, created within the Educational Complex, serves as a call for liberation, a reminder that while exploitation is rooted in the limitation of consciousness, education and art are grounded in liberation.

Anush Martirosyan