'Promised Return': Exhibition honors fallen soldier and artist Ruben Poghosyan

An emotional exhibition opened at the Union of Artists of Armenia on September 12, marking what would have been the 25th birthday of Ruben Poghosyan, a young soldier and artist who was killed during the 2020 Artsakh war.

Titled “Promised Return”, the exhibition features seven of Ruben’s works alongside the paintings of his mother, Anush Melikyan. She turned to painting as a way to cope with grief after her son’s death.

“Each painting feels like a prayer,” she told reporters. “It’s the only way I can live, by painting, waiting, believing Ruben is still with me.”

Ruben, born in 2000 in Berd, Tavush Province, dreamed of becoming a doctor and was studying dentistry at Yerevan State Medical University when he was drafted into the army in 2019. He served as an artillery observer in the Defense Army and fought in multiple battles from Hadrut to Varanda. Even while wounded, he continued fighting for 15 days. On October 12, 2020, he was killed during heavy fighting in Varanda. His body, along with those of his comrades, was returned more than a year later. He was buried at Yerablur Military Pantheon and posthumously awarded the 2nd Degree Order of the Combat Cross.

At the exhibition, Melikyan signs her works with the symbol Ruben had created for her – the letters A and M divided by a cross. “I want him to live through my art and be seen by everyone,” she told Panorama.am.

"More than a hero’s mother, I wish I had been the mother of Dr. Poghosyan. For me, Ruben is alive. The day I believe otherwise, I might cease to exist," the woman said tearfully.