Like a drop of rain in a crystal clear lake, Diana MarkosianThe new book of Father, It has repercussions, in this case, with the consequences of intergenerational decisions. Published this month by Aperture, just before the solo exhibition of Markosian’s work at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC, Father follows Maroksian’s journey to rebuild her relationship with her father after 15 years of being separated. The resurgence is defined by both past and more recent individual decisions, including his mother moving with Markosian and his brother from their native Moscow to Santa Barbara, California, leaving their father behind, and Markosian and his brother pursuing him in Armenia for 15 years. later. Through Markosian’s lens, readers get a glimpse, specifically from a daughter’s perspective, of what this type of relationship could be like and what it means to rewrite the narrative of a life. Father, Photographed over 10 years, it includes photographs taken by Markosian (poetic scenes of her with her father at the kitchen table, portraits of him in which he appears to be out of focus and out of focus, and still lifes of their home), as well as archival photographs . images from his childhood and letters his father wrote to various U.S. government officials in hopes of finding his children, all of which are woven together by Markosian’s own diaries.

Here, Markosian talks about the decision to turn this intimate aspect of his life into art.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Vanity Fair: At what point in your life did you think: I’m going to find my father, meet him, get to know him? Did you plan to work during that process, or was it something that came afterward?

Diana Markosian: I didn’t even know I was saying goodbye to my father when I saw him last. So this idea of ​​finding it wasn’t there. When I was a child I would ask, “Where’s dad?” My mom would just say, “Forget it. “He’s gone.” It was like a real cut. I can completely understand why my mother would want to do that. What I really wanted to focus on is the daughter’s story, focusing on the truth. It’s not about blaming either parent, it’s just the experience you are left with as a child in the midst of these two individuals.

As an adult, I was very afraid to find it. I didn’t know who I was going to find, because I no longer had any idea who he was. As the years passed, her memory of him faded so much that she couldn’t remember what he was like. I forgot, I really forgot. So when my brother and I knocked on his door, I didn’t even recognize him. It’s not that I felt like I saw a father, I didn’t know who that man was. He just felt like an old man.

He didn’t recognize my brother or me either. Once we explained who we were, he said, “What took you so long?” After that first day, it took me maybe six months to decide to come back with a camera, start getting to know him, and try to understand who this man is to me.

By Diana Markosian.

So the choice to photograph was in a way to offer another way of understanding oneself.

I am very grateful to photography because I believe that without this art, without this medium, I would never have stayed. This not only gave me strength, but also courage and left me a record of our time together. We didn’t have each other for two decades, and this allowed me to create positive memories and also opened up a braver version of myself, someone who was able to face difficult things. So I say this knowing it’s a cliché, but without photography I wouldn’t have been so open.

By Diana Markosian.