She begins by priming her canvas, then the base layer is created using mixed media followed by adding different textures and materials like; tissue, paper, cloth, broken brushes. The result is a contrasting layer of thick textured paint (impasto). and often finishes off with a layer of oil colors, which give her canvasses their distinct sense of a dynamic energy.

Zena Assi. A contemporary artist known for her mixed media and collage artwork that reflects the relations and conflicts between the individuals and their environment. Born in Lebanon 1974. She lives and works in Beirut, and graduated from L’Academie Libanaise Des Beaux Arts.

Her Canvases are filled with interwoven lines set against bold fields of colors abstractions, and a sharply defined portraits of young men and women call for attention alongside her cluttered cityscapes that are crammed with wires, television antennas and buildings stacked precariously on top of one another. ( Cityphilia Collection)

Covered by my city

“to be able to put a city like Beirut on canvas, one should take into consideration the layers of its history and heritage, the complexity of its social organizations, the diversity of its cultures, and the peculiarity of its universality… in an attempt to finally convey the soul and spirit of its cityscapes” – Zena Assi.