Red Black White

“Red Black White” is a project about women living with HIV in Armenia.
Due to poor socioeconomic conditions, many Armenian men spent a large part of the year working abroad, primarily in Russia. Due to circumstances such as lack of knowledge and the vulnerability of migrants, those men acquire STDs or HIV, which they transfer to their wives. Sadly, their wives discover they’re infected when they become pregnant and get tested. Most of the them are just ordinary women, wives and mothers from very traditional Armenian families.
The subject is sensitive and vulnerable and it’s not only about HIV. There are so many layers under the subject which are simply connected with the shame, traditions, education, society, gender issues.
According to the information provided by the “National Center for Infectious Diseases” CJSC, as of March 2021, 4217 cases of HIV infection were registered in Armenia, 30,6% of which (1292 cases) are females. Heterosexual transmission is the major route of disease spread, and 93,7% of women living with HIV acquired the infection from their husbands. The majority of cases (350) were registered among women aged 20-29.

The project was produced in the frame of the Online Art Residency Accompanied by a Long-term Mentorship Program & Production Grant for South Caucasian Women Photographers for the Year 4 of MagiC Carpets April-September 2021.

Mentored by Newsha Tavakolian/Magnum Photos.

The program supports the South Caucasian women photographers and visual artists to produce stories covering different issues in the region. 

The program was implemented by Tbilisi Photo Festival in a partnership with Tbilisi Photography & Multimedia Museum funded by MagiC Carpets, a Creative Europe Platform.