1. Diaspora In Bloom: Assyrians in the 20th Century & Beyond
Art Ark Gallery – San Jose, California
June 2019
Artists: Atra Givarkes, Esther Elia, Rabel Betshmuel
Curated by: Akadina Yadegar & Nardin Sarkis
Diaspora In Bloom is a group exhibition of contemporary Assyrian artworks that reflect on the themes of identity, diaspora, and cultural continuity.
The title of the show references an Assyrian idiom, “Spring does not occur with one flower alone.” In other words – a movement does not occur with just one person – it takes a field of flowers to bloom in order for Spring to arrive. Diaspora In Bloom brings together the art of a nation that has been scattered around the globe, and has still found a way to blossom into a movement.
The exhibition offers a fresh approach to understanding the ancient Assyrian culture and its relevance to Assyrians today. Focusing on the Assyrian experience through the 20th century and beyond, over 30 works of art are assembled in a variety of media including – photography, pottery, painting, video, posters, poplar, and graphic design.
By bringing together so many varied works of art that both celebrate and challenge traditional Assyrian culture, the show explores the multifaceted contemporary Assyrian experience. The universal themes that emerge from the exhibition pertain to viewers of any background and allows them to better understand the Assyrian present.
2.
Diaspora in Bloom: Transcending Borders Through Assyrian Art
ArtSteps Gallery – Virtual
August 2020
Artists: Atra Givarkes, Esther Elia, Rabel Betshmuel, Larsa Kena, Shamiran Istifan, Maryam Yousif, Rachel Sarah Thomas, Eden Danilo.
Curated by: Akadina Yadegar & Nardin Sarkis
“Diaspora In Bloom: Transcending Borders Through Assyrian Art” gets the inspiration for its title from the famous Assyrian folk song by Dr. Freydun Atturaya, “Nishra d’Tkhume” “Eagle of Borders”.
Written during World War 1, the opening lyrics read:
Oh eagle of borders, king of birds
Spread your wings so that I may fly to Tyare
From Urmi to Mosul, between two Barwars
I will save my nation, ancient Assyria
The lyrics of the song have been cherished by Assyrians for an entire century. As a stateless people, Assyrians have been bound by borders others placed upon them and continue to control.
From being split among four countries in their homeland, to being dispersed into a global diaspora today as a result of politics & persecution, Assyrians long for the wings of an eagle that will help them fly past the borders that continue to separate them from their friends, families, homelands & history. While the volatile dotted lines on a map have increasingly become points of conflict and tension in today’s world, borders become wholly irrelevant from a bird’s eye view.
In the latest exhibition by Diaspora In Bloom, and the first ever virtual gallery of contemporary Assyrian art, artists from around the world serve as our eagle’s wings. By gathering their unique perspectives on a complex and diverse identity, we are able to transcend borders that seek to divide us and gain a bird’s eye view on what it means to be human.
The virtual nature of this gallery is the final element that proves Marshall McLuhan’s famed mantra “the medium is the message”. In a world on lockdown many are just discovering the harshness of borders that Assyrians have always known. Yet digital spaces designed for computerized community help us blur the reality of man-made boundaries. The blurring of reality and subsequent imposing of a virtual reality suggests the futility of borders. We invite you to immerse yourself in each artist’s expression, and through it, soar over walls and frontiers, with wings like eagles.
3.
Diaspora In Bloom: Without a Kiss
In Partnership with the Assyrian Arts Institute
AANF Convention Gallery – Tucson, Arizona
September 2021
Artists: Sarkis Gorial, Larsa Kena, Esther Elia, Saif Alsaegh, Paul Batou, Qais Alsindy, Valentina Saldouzi, Nahrin Malki, Diana Atoreta
Curated by: Akadina Yadegar & Nardin Sarkis
The universal Assyrian greeting involves a kiss [minshoukta] on each cheek. What many cultures refer to as “faire la bise” is an expression of respect, warmth, and intimate community bonds in Assyrian culture. As the Covid 19 pandemic transformed the world in the past year, people around the globe were forced into their homes relearning how to live, work, and create. For Assyrians, cultural instincts practiced for over a millennia were upended; Communion without community, Weddings without a village, and greetings without a kiss. The intimate bonds Assyrian communities form are manifested through physical customs that center around embrace and closeness. As tradition bent and bowed to give way to safety measures and social distancing, Assyrian artists took to their craft and offered the world a chance to reflect on our collective loss as well as a reason to celebrate cultural aspects that were missed most. This exhibition brings together Assyrian artwork that bloomed during confinement. We invite you to submit your artwork that you completed during shelter in place in the past year, please feel free to tell us more about how this time has affected the way you work and the pieces you have created. From the loss of kisses and embrace, to the gain of reflection and solitude, we look forward to exploring the themes of your most recent artwork.
4.
Take Two: Assyrian Film in Diaspora
In partnership with the Assyrian Policy Institute
API Conference Gallery – Washington, D.C.
June 2022
Artists: Romane Iskaria, Saif Alsaegh
Curated by: Akadina Yadegar & Nardin Sarkis
Since their inception, moving pictures have been capsules of culture from the eras in which they were made. The medium of film records the present, creates popular culture, and conveys the deeply personal stories of the human experience. To explore a repository of films is to watch a culture’s contemporary history come to life.
Through the rise of Assyrian music videos in the 1980s and the release of the first Assyrian feature length film in 1991, Assyrian directors and artists in diaspora have continued to record their modern circumstance on film. The century of mass migration which forcibly scattered Assyrians around the world resulted in this tiny nation’s effort to recreate mass media of their own, this time through video. The moving images they captured connect a global diaspora highlighting their struggles, joys, and unique way of life.
This exhibition of video works brings together movies, television, music videos, and contemporary video art from the Assyrian diaspora to reflect on the evolution of Assyrian society and popular culture. By contextualizing prominent works of Assyrian media created globally in one collection, this curation is able to explore the nature of time and memory and allow viewers to contemplate the future of Assyrian society, culture, and art.
5.
AKITU: The Oldest Party in the World
Art Ark Gallery – San Jose, California
March 2022
Artists: Atra Givarkes, Esther Elia, Maryam Yousif, Rabel Betshmuel, Romane Iskaria, Eden Danilo.
Curated by: Akadina Yadegar & Nardin Sarkis
AKITU, the Assyrian New Year, is known to be the oldest celebration in history with records dating back over 4,000 years. Today Assyrians around the world celebrate Akitu on the 1st of April (Kha b-Nisan) using the Gregorian calendar, this ongoing celebration marking the beginning of Spring is testament to the fortitude of this ancient community. Inspired by the millennia-old Akitu festival, this exhibition showcases contemporary artwork in a variety of media by: Atra Givarkes, Esther Elia, Maryam Yousif, Rabel Betshmuel, and Romane Iskaria.
This collection embraces joy in the face of adversity and honors the rebirth of the natural world. While many themes from the Assyrian lived experience are explored, a sense of hope pervades through the exhibition, like the first bloom after a long winter. The show invites the viewer to reflect on the renewal of nature while symbolically cleansing themselves in preparation for the new year.