A First of its Kind Exhibition…
In June 2019, my creative partner Akadina Yadegar and myself independently established Diaspora in Bloom, a first of its kind exhibition at the Art Ark Gallery in downtown San Jose’s arts district.
The curation offered a unique look into the bay area’s Assyrian-American community at a time when they remain vulnerable in their countries of origin and their status as immigrants increasingly politicized in national debate.
Diaspora In Bloom featured the artwork of three Assyrian-American artists:
Following the success of the 2019 exhibition, we organized Diaspora In Bloom: Transcending Borders Through Assyrian Art which débuted as the first ever virtual gallery of Assyrian art in 2020. This gallery expanded to include three additional artists Shamiran Istifan, Larsa Kena, & Maryam Yousif.
Since then, Diaspora In Bloom has been invited to Tucson, Arizona and Washington, D.C. to organize subsequent exhibitions. Without a Kiss: Assyrian artwork during Lockdown premiered in 2021 as a partnership with the Assyrian Arts Institute. The most recent exhibition in 2022 was a collaboration with the Assyrian Policy Institute entitled Take Two: Assyrian Film in Diaspora.
Diaspora In Bloom is finally returning in person to the Art Ark Gallery in Spring 2023 with the debut of Akitu: The Oldest Party in the World. The group show is inspired by the Assyrian new year, which is the oldest recorded celebration in history. The universal themes that emerge from the exhibition pertain to viewers of any background and allows them to better understand the fusion of ancient and modern Assyrian identity.
Nardin Sarkis 