Azza Zein: Tashabok

Exhibition dates: Tuesday 10 December - Friday 28 Feb 2025

Azza Zein’s Tashabok is a poignant and evolving exhibition that invites audiences to explore the complex stories of displacement, migration, and the unseen connections between objects, bodies, and labour. The exhibition draws from Zein’s group drawing sessions and conversations with artists and participants, revealing the hidden journeys of displaced objects.

Since 2020, Zein has used playful drawings and storytelling to uncover the secret lives of these items, tracing their paths across borders and environments. The exhibition highlights the often-overlooked work behind living in unfamiliar places, while also examining the intersection of modern life and migrant experiences through a unique focus on decorative arts and everyday materials.

Born to a Syrian mother and a Lebanese father, Zein grew up in Beirut and now resides in Narrm/Melbourne. Her artistic practice reflects her heritage and her background in economics, using art as a way to rethink the value of materials, particularly those that have undergone migration. Through Tashabok, she brings attention to the unnoticed labour in today’s digital economy, offering new ways to consider the relationship between people, places, and the objects that accompany them.

This exhibition creates a space for reflection on the broader theme of migration, not just of people, but of the materials and objects that shape our lives. Zein’s work is a reminder of the deep, often unseen stories that lie behind the things we use and the places we inhabit.