Chiral Landscapes of Exile (2020)


“Chiral Landscapes of Exile” is a film based on a performance by two visual artists, Eugenia Reznik and Patil Tchilinguirian. Eugenia was born in Kiev, Ukraine. Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, she left to settle in France and then in Canada. Patil, of Armenian origin, was born in Lebanon during the civil war, and left Beirut several times before settling in Montreal, Canada. These stories of displacement are totally different, yet they have many similarities. Their storytelling unfolds through the act of embroidery done with four hands. The artists communicate through the needle that carries the thread from one side to the other and pierces the fabric to form stitches. Separated by this linen cloth, the two artists unfold chiral tales of exile one stitch at a time, as if transgressing geographic borders. Nevertheless, the fabric becomes a canvas of dialogue instead, where the artists reveal their landscapes of origin, their journeys of displacement, the objects brought from their respective homes, and lastly their feelings of belonging to a place. While being poles apart, the stories mesh together and mirror one another with chirality.