Zaven Bshtykyan is one of the more prolific Armenian photographers of the Soviet-era. He became acquainted with his metier in his teens in Beirut, and after moving to Armenia in 1946, worked as a photojournalist for the Sovetakan Hayastan(Soviet Armenia) daily. During this early period, Bshtikyan honed his skills under the tutelage of photographer Pargev Cholagyan. The major career break for Bshtikyan came in 1952 when he was employed as a staff photographer by Hayastani Ashkhatavoruhi(Armenian Woman Worker) magazine. Taking advantage of the magazine’s thematic focus Bshtikya created a vast gallery of images pertaining to all aspect of women’s lives. This archive is unique unique in the history of Armenian photography, both in its scale and its cultural value. As is expected, these ‘documentary’ photo-reportages made for propagandistic purposes, had an idealized character. Leaving aside the contradictions of reality, they presented the achievements of socialist utopia through images of happy, beautiful and professionally fulfilled women. Nevertheless, Bshtikyan’s often naturalistic photographs represented women in Soviet Armenia as independent individuals fully engaged in all aspects of life. In tandem with the articles published by the magazine, these photographs propagated an emancipated view of womanhood while trying to somehow adhere to the more conservative and patriarchal notions of women’s role in society. Of particular importance within Bshtikyan's archive are his photographs of local fashion products and industry. With no surviving collections, the history of fashion design in Armenia between the 1950s and 1980s can mainly be studied today through these visual documents.

According to Vahan Kochar, Bshtykyan also practiced painting throughout his life. This love of painting is evident in the photographer’s colour images, which are  unquestionably the more accomplished in his extensive oeuvre. In 1985, Bshtikyan retired from photography, fully dedicating himself to his hobby as an artist.

Vigen Galstyan, 2016