In Athens, a New Exhibition Brings Lost Assyrian Treasures Back to Life

ATHENS — At the Acropolis Museum, ancient civilizations converge in a poignant exploration of memory, loss, and cultural resilience. A newly opened exhibition showcases rare Assyrian and Greek antiquities alongside contemporary works by Iraqi-American Assyrian artist Michael Rakowitz, whose art reclaims what war and looting have taken.

Running through October 31, the exhibition is the first in a three-part series hosted in collaboration with NEON, a Greek cultural organization, continuing through 2026.

At the center of the show is Rakowitz’s acclaimed project: the reconstruction of Assyrian artifacts destroyed or stolen in recent decades, particularly in Iraq. Using everyday materials such as Middle Eastern food packaging and Arabic- and English-language newspapers, Rakowitz reimagines the lost relics with vivid textures and colors—works that serve as both homage and protest.

“This exhibition goes beyond aesthetics and academia,” said Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni at the opening. “It touches on an open wound—the ongoing struggle for cultural restitution and the right to memory.”

The curatorial approach places ancient Greek and Assyrian artifacts in conversation with Rakowitz’s modern interpretations. The contrast invites viewers to reflect on the enduring power of heritage and the contemporary urgency to safeguard it.

In October, the exhibition will expand into public space with the installation of Lamassu of Nineveh, Rakowitz’s reimagining of the colossal winged bull statue destroyed by ISIS in 2015. Placed at the museum’s entrance, the sculpture will stand as a symbolic guardian—of both history and hope.

With this exhibition, the Acropolis Museum opens a dialogue between antiquity and today’s fractured world, inviting visitors to consider not only what has been lost, but what can still be reclaimed.