GLENDALE – Abril Bookstore will host the US book release event for photographer Yulia Grigoryants’s new bilingual book titled, Cosmic Solitude on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 7:00pm at The Center for Armenians Arts – 250 N. Orange St. in Glendale, California. For more information, call (818) 243-4112. 90 minutes free parking is available in structure.
Cosmic Solitude explores solitude and isolation at one of the Soviet Union’s largest cosmic ray research stations in the remote mountains of Armenia. Once a place of great scientific importance, the station continues to operate today, though only three people live and work there year-round, surrounded by silence and vast, open landscapes. Through striking imagery, the book documents life at the station, offering a rare glimpse into a world where time seems to stand still. More than just a photographic journey, Cosmic Solitude is an exploration of solitude in its most profound sense—both cosmic and deeply personal. It reflects on the connection between people and the places they inhabit, urging us to pause, reflect, and find meaning in the spaces we often overlook.
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Cosmic Solitude is a photographic exploration of solitude and isolation, in what was probably the largest cosmic ray research station during the soviet time.
The project documents the banal daily routine of the last three employees at the station, 3300 meters above sea level in Armenia, where the snow covers the ground two-thirds of the year. Isolation & solitude is what these two scientists and their cook experience in a place that once, employed over 100 scientists and buzzed with life.
Yulia Grigoryants is a visionary documentary photographer from Armenia whose work explores the unseen aspects of human experience, capturing the aftermath of conflict, the lives of marginalized communities, and the enduring impact of social and cultural challenges. Her photography is deeply influenced by her personal history: born in Azerbaijan to an Armenian family, Grigoryants fled the country in 1988 to escape the violence against Armenians. Through her lens, she examines themes of memory, loss, and the quiet resilience of people. Her work has been published in major outlets such as The New York Times, The Sunday Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Al Jazeera. Her work has also been showcased at the Sharjah Art Biennial (UAE), Musée Albert-Kahn (France), the Council of Europe (France), Somerset House (UK), and The House of United Nations (Armenia). Grigoryants has received several notable awards, including the Albert-Kahn Award and Prix Maison Blanche. She currently lives and works between Paris and Yerevan.
