This is the Japanese version of an article that I plan to monetize and publish as a ZINE in 2026.→
Arrived at Zvartnots International Airport.
As mentioned earlier, I had a bit of a battle with the SIM card seller;) kkkkkk
(I ended up saying “Give me back my passport!” in Japanese.)
Passed baggage check and met up with Qseenia, a volunteer from hosq.
(There were so many volunteers, and both the residency and the festival were wonderful. Thank you so much!)
She said, “So sorry to keep you waiting for 30 minutes!” but it turns out she panicked because my flight landed earlier than scheduled.
I wasn’t kept waiting at all—we met the instant I walked out of the gate.
She is so kind; the journey ahead feels promising.
She booked a taxi for me using Yandex, and I headed to the city hotel.
It took a little over 20 minutes.
Since Qseenia had to wait for other participants, I went ahead to the hotel by myself.
When I got to the hotel, I was told: “Check-in is from 2:00 PM.” So I left my luggage there and decided to head out into town. I had bought water at the airport, but I bought another bottle in town using Wise. Mixing in some Pocari Sweat powder brought my energy back. Just like at the airport, where many people held bouquets, this is a city full of flowers.
On Telegram, Yuliya sent a message: “Is anyone here yet? Would you like to meet up?” I replied, “I’ll head back to the hotel!” When we called, we realized we were sharing a room.
www.yulianemova.com
Yulia’s super cool portfolio. “LIMINAL.TMP” in particular is amazing.
She reviews portfolios as an instructor for design students, so her work is refined and top-tier. She also mentioned she was happy to have everyone check out her work(as I shared on Threads for Japanese artists…). Her approach to liminal space feels so natural—pure, the curiosity drives her that. Yuliya’s roots are in Uzbekistan.
We went around a few supermarkets, where I exchanged USD for Armenian Dram.
From here on, these are photos given by Yuliya.
A spot where you can see Mount Ararat during the day.
“Cascade”
Julia’s website (Artist & Engineer)
Next Exhibition→