HOKI an Armenian word meaning soul, is a meditation on diaspora, displacement, heritage, and hope.

The works begin as large abstract compositions, constructed from multiple 10×10-inch wooden canvases. Each canvas is painted, bound together, and then intentionally separated once dried. The textured surfaces, inspired by the landscapes of Armenia, become a stage for an Armenian church painted within each square, a tribute to a legacy that has endured centuries of challenge and loss.

Once complete, the canvases are pulled apart, jagged, fractured, broken, symbolic of families and communities scattered across time and distance. Though separated, these fragments carry memory, connection, and identity.

The paintings were formed as “families” of some of three, some of ten, or more, which were dispersed across Canada. Collectors engaged with the work in deeply personal ways: some kept families together, others selected individual pieces that spoke to them, and some collected slowly over time. In their dispersal, the canvases reflect both the hardships of separation and the resilience, hope, and enduring strength of Armenian culture and love.

Through this process, Hoki celebrates heritage, identity, and the persistence of the human spirit, a reminder that even when dispersed, our culture, our stories, and our souls endure.