Esther Elia
Ancestors, 2020

acrylic on canvas
54”H x 54”W”

ARTWORK STATEMENT:

This piece is a portrait of my Assyrian ancestors, and the descendants that followed when we came to the United States in the 1930s. It contains elements of the ancient and the new, as Assyrians carry both elements inside of us as we continue our traditions in diaspora. It also shows that as we migrate, we carry the good and the bad, visually represented by contrasting the ancient gods - the Lamassu (protective deity) and the Lamashtu (destructive deity), as well as in the florals -- the tulips of Hakkari: a symbol of the attempted genocide of my people, as well as the pomegranate: a fruit of fertility and blessing. It is the story of the Ark, a story of migration, terror, loss, and blessing.

Artist Bio:

Esther Elia is a visual artist who uses large-scale paintings and sculptural furniture as a vehicle to disseminate oral histories about the Assyrian people. She uses family folklore as the basis to create a contemporary Assyrian art aesthetic, in hopes to shed more light on the diversity of Southwest Asia. She graduated with a BFA from California College of the Arts and has recently started an MFA program at the University of New Mexico.