Emii Alrai: Deja Vu, Bold Tendencies
ARTIST NEWS
Emii Alrai: Déjà Vu, Bold Tendencies
May 2025
Emii Alrai’s sculpture Guardian is one of the new, site-specific commissions for Bold Tendencies' 19th Artistic Programme, Déjà Vu.
Guardian takes the form of a colossal relic inspired by the mythological figures of ancient civilisations. The sculpture, supported by a metal armature and finished in vivid teal and brown patina, draws on Alrai’s background as a museum registrar and her interest in the lives of objects – both as vessels of nostalgia and as symbols enmeshed in questions of empire, authenticity, memory and cultural preservation.
Referencing her British-Iraqi heritage, the work alludes to Assyrian protective deities called Lamassu: immense creatures with the body of a bull, wings of an eagle and the head of a human. Once found at the gates of ancient Babylon, these statues were excavated and displaced in the 19th century by British archaeologists. Alrai’s Guardian speaks to this history of cultural extraction while addressing a wider search for identity and belonging.
The work will be shown alongside a programme of music, dance, opera, poetry & readings and Creative Learning initiatives throughout the summer.
Open: 16 May – 20 September 2025
Click here to find out more.
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