Video portraits of 3000 Ethiopian patriots presented together in a continuous loop,, 12 x 2.50 meter, Synchronized Projections, 22:00 min loop, Floating screens , Three Full HD projection, 16:9, 2017 - 2024
Unveil
Unveil (አርበኛ) The background for the work is an anticolonial resistance that happened in Ethiopia between 1935 and 1941 which had a significant impact on history, and yet it’s been mostly forgotten. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, Benito Mussolini decided to invade Ethiopia. Unlike all the other African countries, Ethiopia was never colonized. The Ethiopians said no to colonialism and resisted the invasion with antique rifles and traditional weapons. During those 5 years’ hundreds of thousands were brutalized and killed. The sacrifices and solidarity shown during the war is the foundation for most Africans anticolonial movement, and it is a kind of extraordinary historical legacy to look modern Ethiopia as the emblem of Pan-Africanism, setting an example for the rest of the world, to those who seek freedom. With the collected footage and rare 16mm videos from several sources, I come up with a video installation that includes cropped video portraits of 3000 unanimous Ethiopian patriots, presented together in a continuous loop.