“Diaspora In Bloom: Transcending Borders Through Assyrian Art”: First ever virtual gallery of contemporary Assyrian art opens online doors

The first ever virtual art gallery of contemporary Assyrian art opens its online doors this August 15. The exhibition will feature art work by artists Atra Givarkes, Esther Elia, Larsa Kena, Maryam Yousif, Rabel Betshmuel, and Shamiran Istifan.

The online exhibition is a follow up on the premiere exhibition Diaspora In Bloom Exhibition, Assyrians in the 20th Century and Beyond, which was held in June 2019 at the Art Ark Gallery in San Jose, US. The June 2019 exhibition was the first of its kind in creating a modern Assyrian art experience.

According to the exhibition’s website, the phrase Diaspora In Bloom references the Assyrian idiom, “Spring does not occur with one flower alone” which is to mean that movement does not occur with just one person – it takes a field of flowers to bloom in order for Spring to arrive.

By creating a field of flowers of different types of Assyrian art the exhibition offers a colorful view and insightful approach into the transnational Syriac people and its ancient living culture, struggling to find identity and continuity far away from its home land Mesopotamia.

The Syriac Diaspora is a sprawling Diaspora that stretches from Australia to Europe, South America, and the United States – in the US major centers are Detroit (majority Syriac Chaldeans), Chicago (Syriac Assyrians), San Diego and Arizona (Syriac Assyrians and Syriac Chaldeans), New Jersey (Syriacs) – where it has found a way to blossom into a transnational movement overcoming cultural assimilation, division, distance, and borders.

“While most Americans may know Assyrian culture by what they learned about ancient civilizations in history class, a new art show spotlights the contemporary experiences of ethnic Assyrians” The Mercury News

The online exhibition will display over thirty works of art including paintings, posters, and graphic design. “Diaspora In Bloom: Transcending Borders Through Assyrian Art” opens its virtual doors from 15 -20 August 2020.