Across ancient Mesopotamia, lamassu figures assumed the form of a winged goddess. In the ancient Assyrian Empire, giant bulls or lions with human heads and wings represented the deities, which artisans often carved at a monumental scale to protect cities and palaces. For Albuquerque-based Esther Elia, who is of Assyrian and Irish descent, lamassu are anything but a relic of the distant past. Through sculpture, paintings, and textiles, the artist explores contemporary Assyrian experience through pattern, fashion, and autobiography.

Her solo exhibition, Bazaar Ashuraya at Hecho a Mano, centers around a new collection of acrylic paintings, plus tile mosaics and functional objects. Elia delves into the theme of home, where lamps, garments, and paintings evocative of rugs or tapestries portray vibrant figures, shapes, and objects associated with daily life. Compositions such as “Sharrat Wearing Adidas” and “Esther and Zahra Wearing Farm Rio” playfully nod to contemporary fashion and folk designs.

“The home is where Assyria lives and breathes,” Elia says in a statement. She adds:

The home is where our language is spoken. Even if we speak English or Arabic or Farsi or French or Swedish outside of the home, the home is where Assyrian food is made, where Assyrian customs thrive, and where culture is maintained as well as created—pushed forward. As we mix with diaspora, our clothes, furnishings, and habits reflect the mixing with these new places.

Elia’s sculptures have reached nearly life-size through the use of Mexican tiles on cement board and plywood, with wheels affixed to the bases so they can move around. She coined these her “diasporic deities” because they incorporate materials readily sourced in the Southwest and are designed to be adaptable to different spaces.

Bazaar Ashuraya runs from November 6 to 29 in Santa Fe, and the artist was recently announced as a 2027 resident of the John Michael Kohler Art Center and Kohler Co.’s Arts/Industry program. See more on Elia’s Instagram.