Z e n a A s s i

The artist in her studio

Zena Assi was born in 1974 in Lebanon. She graduated with honours from L’Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA) with a D.E.S. in publicity. She worked for two years for the Saatchi and Saatchi advertising agency in their creative department, then taught Visual Communication at the University of Balamand in north Lebanon and later Visual Communication and Drawing at ALBA, before turning full-time to her painting. “City and Citizens” is Zena Assi’s first solo exhibition and was held in July at the Alwane Gallery, Beirut.The works concern the weight and the baggage of civilization on the ordinary person, and the link and dichotomy between the two.They reflect and comment on the situation in Lebanon and address the issues of war, peace, hope, silence and individual frustration. Zena Assi’s paintings have been on display since April 2000 in continuous collective exhibitions at the Ligne Roset and Roche Bobois and Le Cercle Hitti Galleries in Beirut, and from May 2006 at the Alwane Gallery, Beirut. Since October 2007 she has showed in collective exhibitions at the Musée Sursock and Salon d’Automne Galleries in Beirut, and in new collective exhibitions that took place in March this year.

El Karem, 220 by 180 cm, mixed media and oil on canvas, 2008

Hate this country, love this country, hate this country , 120 x 120 cm, mixed media on canvas, 2007. One of a composition of 4 paintings

Front cover: Between earth and cables, 140 by 140 cm, mixed media on canvas, 2008

Him and himself, 180 by 100 cm, mixed media and collage on canvas, 2006