Your Gaze Makes Me is an installation work is a continuity of my exploration into questions on how history, memory, and identity are formed and constituted, and the concept of epigenetic inheritance, a memory that transfers over generations.
Taking the form of a large-scale mural, the work includes archival portraits taken during the second Italo-Ethiopian war, at the time of Haile Selassie (1935-1941). Surviving the invasion and winning at the end, Ethiopia became an emblem of Pan-Africanism, that has never been colonized. Collected from the digital archives, the photographs lack the information about depicted figures, at the risk of losing connection with their context and fading from collective consciousness. The work attempts to not only capture the memory of the person and the specific historical moment, but also transform the immaterial digital, numeric representation into a physical object in referencing objects as a vessel of memory. The grid composition is inspired by traditional Ethiopian painting and serves as a visual expression of interdependence and harmonious coexistence, while the scale of the work creates an immense physical presence that elevates the forgotten individuals to a heroic status and uplifting them into human dignity,
Creating a further layer, a collection of objects is placed over the photographs. Originating not only from Ethiopia, but also from other African countries and some made by the artist, they create a visual diversity and intentionally detached the narrative of the work from one specific geographical location in order to resonate with wider narratives, as Pan-Africanism sat in solidarity with Liberation movements Beyond Africa and the Caribbean toward Middle East, Asia and the Latin America and Eastern Europe. The process of assembling a photo with objects involves a conscious and subconscious approach, tapping into the idea of inherited memories which might surface through artistic gestures or linger in the materials themselves.
Your gaze makes me, weaves together digital and physical archival material to create a dynamic visual library that holds stories from the past and present while also gesturing towards a more inclusive future in terms of the way we approach both history and art.
Taking the form of a large-scale mural, the work includes archival portraits taken during the second Italo-Ethiopian war, at the time of Haile Selassie (1935-1941). Surviving the invasion and winning at the end, Ethiopia became an emblem of Pan-Africanism, that has never been colonized. Collected from the digital archives, the photographs lack the information about depicted figures, at the risk of losing connection with their context and fading from collective consciousness. The work attempts to not only capture the memory of the person and the specific historical moment, but also transform the immaterial digital, numeric representation into a physical object in referencing objects as a vessel of memory. The grid composition is inspired by traditional Ethiopian painting and serves as a visual expression of interdependence and harmonious coexistence, while the scale of the work creates an immense physical presence that elevates the forgotten individuals to a heroic status and uplifting them into human dignity,
Creating a further layer, a collection of objects is placed over the photographs. Originating not only from Ethiopia, but also from other African countries and some made by the artist, they create a visual diversity and intentionally detached the narrative of the work from one specific geographical location in order to resonate with wider narratives, as Pan-Africanism sat in solidarity with Liberation movements Beyond Africa and the Caribbean toward Middle East, Asia and the Latin America and Eastern Europe. The process of assembling a photo with objects involves a conscious and subconscious approach, tapping into the idea of inherited memories which might surface through artistic gestures or linger in the materials themselves.
Your gaze makes me, weaves together digital and physical archival material to create a dynamic visual library that holds stories from the past and present while also gesturing towards a more inclusive future in terms of the way we approach both history and art.