This series of gargoyles is inspired by artifacts housed within the collection of the National Museum of Beirut. Assi repurposes these archaeological treasures, and, when dislocated from their original context, they resonate with contemporary relevance. The artist’s preoccupations with dwelling in this “interstitial” space, where time and place can converse, are manifest in these works.
From medieval cathedrals, designed to channel rainwater away, these accoutrements, borrowing from fantastical bestiaries, and animal, human, or hybrid figures, also serve an apotropaic function: the gargoyles ward off malevolence, vigilantly safeguarding the edifice.
