Zena Assi

A prize-winning artist, Zena Assi (b. 1974) lives and works between Beirut and London, having graduated with Honours from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts. Previously, she worked in advertising and taught at various universities. 

Assi draws inspiration from the relations and conflicts between individuals and their spatial environment, society, and its surroundings. Her work takes shape in sculpture, painting, and experimental animation, among other media. Topical issues that are central to her vision include migration and the relationship between memories and people on the move.

Many of her pieces are regularly shown in renowned international auction houses and feature in both public and private collections, including the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah, and ‘Institut du Monde Arabe’, Paris.

Assi is the recipient of several prizes, including the Sunny Dupree Family Award for a Woman Artist (2020 Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy, London); the Rosemary & Co Award (2018 SWA show, London); and the Special Jury Prize (XXIX Salon d’Automne, Sursock Museum, Beirut).

Her work has featured in both solo and collective shows across Europe, the Middle East, and the US, including at Alwane Gallery, Beirut; Subtitled Appeal, Royal College of Art, London; Artsawa Gallery, Dubai; Zoom Art Fair, Miami; Cairo Biennale; Katzen Arts Center of American University, Washington DC; Rebirth Beirut Exhibition Center, Beirut; Art13 & Art14, London Fair; Art Paris; Imperial War Museum, London; ‘Institut du Monde Arabe’, Paris; Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London; and the 57th Venice Art Biennale.