ETHIOPIAN BEZALEM ESHETU YIRDAW AWARDED AT 2022 L’ORÉAL-UNESCO FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCESUB-SAHARAN AFRICA YOUNG TALENTS AWARDS: Paris, November 8th, 2022 – The Fondation L’Oréal and UNESCO unveil the winners of the 13th edition of the For Women in Science Young
Anis Gabi, a passionate musician, primarily active in Afaan Oromo, is releasing his first album Haadhi Mikii. A storytelling piece, centered on the place women have in the Oromo culture. It also aims to highlight the indigenous system put in place for women by women, the Sinqee. The Sinqee is a stick given to women by their mothers once they got married. It symbolizes, fertility, productivity and prosperity but also, it was a way to ensure their rights were not eroded and as a warning for husbands that sought dominance over their wives.
In linguistics, using a word or an expression from another language, without translating it, is called “borrowing”. The term “borrowing” supposes that the other party loans, making these languages lenders. All the languages that are in contact with one another borrow and loan, and sometimes impose terms and expressions.
Meet the new Ethiopian music company that will take our Ethiopian creatives to the global market! Muzikawi is built on 17 years of experience in Ethiopian music culture combined with 25 years of international music industry experience. Every week from April 1st and throughout 2022 we will present 16 artists and more than 100 releases! The cultural organisation Selam has been committed to the advancement of Ethiopian music culture for over 17 years.
Girum Mezmure is often labelled as a pioneer and a positive driving force in the Ethiopian music industry. During a career that extends over two decades, the musician has been known to experiment and explore uncharted territories. He is credited with reviving live music and the Ethio-Jazz genre. In addition, he has mastered a diverse set of traditional and non-traditional instruments. He currently teaches at Yared Music School and Jazzamba Music School.
Endeguena Mulu, aka Ethiopian Records, is one of the leading lights in Ethiopia’s burgeoning electronic music scene. Sometimes using nothing more than a computer, Ableton software, and a Push controller, he makes music inspired by traditional music from all over the country and the continent.
የኢትዮጵያን ሪከርድሱ እንደገና ሙሉ በማበብ ላይ ለሚገኘው ኤሌክቶሮኒክ ሙዚቃ ብርሃን ይዘው ከመጡ የሙዚቃ ሰዎች አንዱ ነው። አንዳንዴ ኮምፒወተር ላይ አቤቶን የተባለ ሶፍትዌር እና ፑሽበተን በመጠቀም ብቻ በሀገሩ ባህል እና ትውፊት ላይ ያተኮሩ ሙዚቃዎችን ይሰራል።
Music managers are a central part of any healthy music industry. They wear multiple hats, all to ensure a happy marriage between the musician, the audience and the industry as a whole. But how do they operate in Ethiopia? What role do they play?
የሙዚቃ ማኔጀር የጤነኛ ሙዚቃ ኢንዱስትሪ ማገር ነው። የነበሩት ጠላቻዎች ያሳዩት በሙዚቀኛው ፤ በአድማጩ እና በኢንዱስትሪው መሃል ወዳጅነት እንዲደረጅ ማድረጋቸውን ነው። ግን ኢቲዮጵያ ውስጥ እንዴት ነው የሚሰሩት? የሄዋን ገብረወልድ ማኔጀር የሆነው አዚዝ ይማም ስለስራው እና በዛ በኩል ስላለው የሙዝቃው ኢንዱስትሪ መልክ አጫውቶናል።
Part of what makes the local music industry challenging is the lack of spaces where artists can fully commit to their art. If there are spaces available, are they accessible and affordable?
የሀገራችንን የሙዚቃ ኢንዱስትሪ ከሚያዳክሙ ነገሮች ውስጥ አንዱ አርቲስቶች ሙሉ ጊዜያቸውን ሰተው መስራት የሚችሉባቸው ቦታዎች እጥረት ነው። ቦታዎቹ ቢኖሩ ራሱ ተደራሽ እና ባለ ተመጣጣኛ ዋጋ ናቸው?
Launched in September 2019, Agelgil Studios is an Ethiopian record label focused on discovering, empowering and managing talented Ethiopian musicians and producers of all styles of music.
በፈርንጆቹ 2019 የተጀመረው አገልግል ስቱዲዮ፤ወጣት ሙዚቀኞችን ማውጣት ፣ አቅማቸውን ማጎልበት እና መወከልን አላማው ያደርገ ኢትዮጵያዊ ሙዚቃ አሳታሚ ነው። የድርጅቱ መስራች ናሆም ሙሉጌታ ከኢትዮጵያ ሙዚቃ እንዱስትሪ አንፃር የሚኖረንን አንዳምታ አዋይቶን ነበር።
A few years back, it would have been common to see someone fogging a CD and wiping it to ensure it plays clean. Not long before that, it was winding a cassette tape with a pencil. And even further back, people were exchanging phonograph disks. But there was also a time when the only way for people to hear their favorite music was to sit across from a musician playing it.
ከጥቂት አመታት በፊት በትክክል እንዲሰራ ሲዲ በልብሱ የሚጠርግ ሰው ማየት የሚያስገርም ነገር አልነበረም። ከዛም ብዙ ወኋላ ሳንሄድ ፤ የቴፕ ካሴት በእርሳስ ማጠንጠን የተለመደ ነበር። ቀደም ስንል ከፎኖገራፍ ሸክላዎች ጋር ለመታገል የሚገደዱ ሰዎችም ነበሩ።
In the digital world, music promotion is more than just about the music. It’s also about the artist behind the music. And when people come into play, their values, ideas and opinions eventually enter the sphere of public information. Moreover, artists have to navigate this area carefully and craft a presence throughout their careers.
በዲጂታሉ አለም፤የሙዚቃ ፕሮሞሽን ስለ ሙዚቃው ብቻ አይደለም። ከሙዚቃው ጀርባ ስላለው አርቲስትም ጭምር ነው። ሙዚቃ ለመጫወት ሲመጡ ፤ ዋጋቸው ፣ አስታየታቸውን እና ሃሳባቸው አብሮ ለህዝብ ይደርሳል። አርቲስቶች ይህነን በጥንቃቄ አጥንተው እና ዳሰው በሙያቸው ሁሉ ቋሚነትን መፍጠር ይገባቸዋል።
The manager is responsible for contacting potential venues and promoters, marketing and social media, liaising with others, paperwork, managing accounts, networking, artistic direction, connecting with fans, negotiating contracts, collecting, and promotional appearances, among other things.
ስራውን ማቅረቢያ ቦታ ማመቻቸት ፤ ፕሮሞተሮችን መነጋገር ፤ ማርኬቲንግ እና ማህበራዊ ሚዲያ ፤ ኔትወኪንግ ፤ ጥበባዊ አቅጣጫን ማስቀመጥ ፤ ከአድናቂዎቹ ጋር ማወዳጀት ፤ ውሎችን መደራደር ፤ ገቢውን መሰብሰብ እና የማስታወቂያ አቅርቦት ከማኔጀሩ ስራዎች ጥቂቶቹ ናቸው።
The road to music production is the best kept secret in the Ethiopian music industry. “Well, you just make music,” is the general rhetoric. Perhaps it’s not a one-size-fits-all remedy. As most of our local music producers are self-taught, each one has had to find their way.
ወደ ሙዚቃ ፕሮዳክሽን የሚወስደው መንገድ የኢትዮጵያ ሙዚቃ ኢንዱስትሪ ሚስጥር ሆኖ ቢቀመጥ ይሻላል። “ያው ሙዚቃ ትሰራለህ” ነው የተለመደው ምላሽ። ሁሉም ቁልፍ ሁሉንም በር አይከፍትም አይነት ጨዋታ ይሆናል። ብዚዎቹ የኢቶዮጵያ ሙዚቃ ፕሮዲውሰሮች ራሳቸውን ስላስተማሩ ፤ የሳቸውን መንገድ ማግኘት ነበረባቸው።
In the quest to understand how young musicians become professionals, one is first confronted by the question of what makes a professional. Most musicians seem to have their own definition.
ወጣት ሙዚቀኞች እንዴት ባለሙያ መሆን ይቻላሉ ለሚለው ጥያቄ መልስ ስንፈልግ አንድን ሰው ምንንድነው ባለሙያ የሚያደርገው የሚለው ጥያቄ ጣልቃ ይገባል። አብዝሃኞቹ ሙዚቀኞች የራሳቸው መልስ አላቸው።
We live in a fast-paced and ever-changing world, where the advent of the internet is opening doors and opportunities for people from all walks of life. Technology has also pushed a great many things that were once considered essential or part of daily life into obsolescence, while calling into question the practicality of a great many more.
የምንኖረው በፍጥነት በመቀየር ላይ ባለች አለም ውስጥ ነው። የምንወደው ነገር ላይ ያደረሰን መንገድ ከእኛ በቀደሙ ብዙዎች የተጠረገ ነው። እጃችን ላይ አማራጮች እንደልብ አሉን። የተለየ ድምፅ ያላቸው ወጣት የፈጠራ ሰዎች ብቅ እያሉ ነው። እኛም ከሌላው ጊዜ በእጅጉ ለእዲስ ነገ ክፍት የሆን አድማጮች ሆነናል። እንደዚህ በተመቻቸ ጊዜ ታድያ አርቲስቱ በቀላሉ እየሰራ ከኢንተርኔት መማር እየቻለ ለምን ሙዚቃ ትምህት ቤት ይሄዳል?
Handicrafts and their creator’s stories mirror Ethiopian history and the industry today. The artisans produced essential items for sustenance (think of the injera clay plate). Still, they were seen as “non-essential” to demonically possessed. Moreover, the handicraft sector is riddled with inexplicable paradoxes.
You will Die at Twenty Maybe? We don’t know…
For the first time, ever, Sudan is submitting a film to the Oscars. For a country with an art scene that has been suppressed by an autocrat (Omar Al-Bashir), this is huge news. Especially, as an African. Okay, maybe not in that intensity. But it’s huge news! Let’s explain why!
“What the wise awakens to” is a short animation film made from individually hand-painted frames.
The narration of the film is based on the famous allegory of the cave from the Republic. The allegory of the cave as an archetypically structured story has a lot of similarities with other similar myths and stories on the same subject. For instance, with the life of Buddha from the east.
Given our history, you wouldn’t be surprised to find out that religion plays a huge role in the daily lives of Ethiopians. A country where a good majority identifies as either Christian or Muslim has also produced some of the most fascinating art pieces that tell the history of the country and God.
somewhere, a woman wraps a thin black see-through fabric on the twin buns of a girl seated underneath her feet.
somewhere in time, an empress extends her hand for a gursha at a banquette.
a spell is cast.
somewhere, a dark reddish paste forms as the chopped tuber of ensosila cooks on a coal stove.
It would be safe to assume that everyone reading this is familiar with Shiro Meda, but as a refresher, let’s briefly describe it. Shiro Meda, located around 6 kilo, is a market that mostly deals in everything traditional attire. From the yarn spinners to pattern designers everyone involved in the production of traditional dresses can be found here with their expertise and items.
While the art of traditional fashion design has remained alive in Ethiopia, it has remained in the traditional space. For the most part, it’s still not something you wear every day and even in those instances, the overall design of the clothes we see today isn’t innovative. To find out if the industry has evolved and how it has evolved we went down to see SewaSew Design, a family-owned and operated fashion design studio that is doing interesting things in the Ethiopian fashion world.
Yikunoeamlak is a graphics designer and architect based in Ethiopia. He began his creative work at the EiABC in Ethiopia, where he graduated with an architecture degree. He is currently running a business, Ge’ez fonts. This business focuses on modernizing and diversifying Ethiopian visual art in the digital world with a special focus on typography. The Getz Team reached to Yikunoamlak to find about more about him and the work he does.
Mostly associated with the ancient world, monolithic structures are buildings that are carved, cast, or excavated from a single piece of material. Immovable reminders that civilizations once excelled at architecture. Either through slave labor, aliens, or pure technical marvels these structures defy the capabilities of mankind and were the epitome of technology back then.
The creative sector in Ethiopia is something that causes a lot of people pain. Both people that are on the outside looking in and those of us knee-deep in it. It sometimes feels like the creative sector is stagnant. Of course, it is unfair to say that there is no evolution but have we seen an art revolution that has achieved national impact? What about the parts of the sectors that have achieved success to a moderate level are they pushing others to reach their level?
After tracking down and hacking into google servers we tracked down one of the best yet super batshit crazy movies ever made. We met the mind behind this film an decided to have chat about why he decided to make this film and why he likes to make films in Ethiopia.
My work is greatly inspired by the two cultures I come from. My mother is from Jamaica, and my father is from Ethiopia. I am inspired to tell the stories of the histories of both ancestries. I do so mainly through my films, combining folklore with real histories through animation.
This is a film that took me nearly ten years to make due to the research and also the slow process of financing a feature film. The film looks at the Red Terror only through the stories and memories of women. I felt that historical content in Ethiopia is dominated by the perspectives of men and I wanted to provide a different approach. I think that it is important to look at multiple sides of a story.
As most of the creative people working in the industry, I am self-taugh. My teacher was the Internet and other “creatively sourced” inspirations. Filmmaking is not something you master by reading. It’s in the name itself: Film-Making. You need to make films to learn more and be better. It’s not a stagnant education, you keep learning as you go.
Filmmaking is very therapeutic and entertaining for me, I found it to be a very infinite hub to my skills, potentials, passions, and interests as well. Even though situations aren’t convenient at the moment, it’s up to us to work hard and to better the Ethiopian Film Industry. Especially since we have many untold stories that are very important and interesting to watch.
We pondered a lot, in terms, of what to highlight on the importance of cinema in Ethiopia. The truth of the matter, there’s a lot to complain about, especially, in the current times (with Corona and Civil War looming over the country). But it’s important to look at the positives. Mostly because, we all know what’s wrong with the local cinema but we can’t really appreciate it’s importance. So here’s why we here GETZ love the movies and why we think it’s important to keep pushing until we’re in that ideal state where we can rightfully hate on whatever version of cinematic universe will eventually form in Ethiopia.
We are nothing more than a mosaic of our stories, an encapsulation of lived experiences. Cinema has the power to gather people and for 120 minutes it allows us a glimpse of what is, could be, or has been. There is an undeniable magic.
Felek is an artisanal brand that aims to tell the story of Ethiopia’s rich history of producing handmade notebooks with their products. In a country that has one of the oldest illustrated bibles in the world, it’s a crying shame that the art is close to lost. Sure it’s preserved but is it updated? That’s what Suleiman and his team of creative artisans are trying to solve.
The first Tibeb series we did with Tibeb Online was themed ‘Le Jardin’ which means ‘the garden’. The concept revolves around the confection of an in-house scenery to nurture positive feelings, creativity, motivation, and happiness especially in times of crisis such as the global pandemic we are currently experiencing.
I believe that social conversations and art should complement one another. In some ways, an artist’s perspectives are molded by their environment both in changing and appraising them. Core values of people from different walks of life are understood through social conversations held in different settings and different times. This is what allows art to blossom.
Most of my personal photography is inspired by social issues. I first chose photography as my medium because my camera was the most accessible tool available to me, but as I learned more, I started to realize how powerful it was as a tool to tell people’s unique stories.
Disaster stories always have one thing in common. Human resilience. That’s where the suspense is drawn from. It’s also, an exercise in empathy. I’ve always found it strange that people immediately feel connected to characters that don’t even exist and root for them but for people in real life, that are going through painful experience, albeit different, we tend to ignore.
Orange Hearts wasn’t planned out meticulously with a specific end goal in mind. As someone who has dealt with an abusive father, who has felt helpless and weak and unable to defend me or my mother (and although I sometimes deny it, the effects linger and affect various aspects of my life), I was completely disturbed when I read about the abuse and rape of over 100 children in Ethiopia.
Say you’ve just created this amazing idea in your head. This idea, for all intents and purposes, is a movie. This movie chronicles the life of a controversial figure, that say, liberated your country but also enslaved a lot of people or wasn’t kind to his wife. You try your best to navigate and write him as a balanced hero and boom you release it.
If one thing positive comes out of the pandemic, it’s our sudden awakening to the pain of others. Politicians can no longer say, it’ll be better. People seem to be more adamant about the walk part of the talk. At least for now. Businesses, seem to be acknowledging the importance of taking care of people and nature. It’s can no longer be just about profits.
Currently, I am a full-time studio artist. The main reason I chose this medium is to narrate my contemporary observations to my audience who share my time and to the future generation. I record the present and hope to transform tomorrow through the arts. The inspiration for my art comes from my life experiences ( daily life) and current situations. Art makes it possible for me to frame my observations.
I try to tell stories inspired by things I relate to myself. There are times where I go back to some specific moments and feelings before making the art. I also get inspiration from movie scenes and some other artists work.
To come to terms with the reality of Ethiopia is always the step one of creative process. There is a lot our imagination will not allow to explore as the ropes of our tradition and learning has been to ignore impulses that question.
Zellan Creative and Cultural Centre is meant to break that cycle. What ever you can imagine to work on or question, we believe the world is ready to hear you.
One of the common things that are experienced almost collectively by everyone right now is a seemingly (we hope) unending anxious state of will we be back to normal and what is normal exactly?
Originally, the du-rag was the headgear worn by poor laborers and slaves in the 19th century. During the Black Power movement — a political movement that emphasized racial pride and economic empowerment in the late 1960s — the du-rag was revived among African Americans, particularly rappers, athletes and young men. Eventually, the du-rag evolved into a hairstyle preserver.
I am writing this text safely tucked in a studio apartment in Basha Wolde Condominium, Arat Kilo, Addis Ababa. Although the city is not in total lockdown, I barely leave my home, except for sporadic coffee breaks at a café downstairs. At least once a day, I make my way down from the fourth floor – pausing at the balcony of each story to look out at the city and check if it is still there and indeed intact between my climbs down each staircase. The pauses get longer with the passing days, and my gazes more unsure and less futile.
What’s a job? Is it something you do to sustain yourself? Or something that gives your life meaning? Or it’s a just a made up thing by the system? I couldn’t help but think of the state of the Ethiopian graduate when I saw Eeb Allay Ooo on the We Are One film festival on YouTube.
Yes COVID-19 is tearing us a new one on all fronts, on some more than other but it is very important to look past this and look forward to a better time. The COVID-19 pandemic will change things and we wish for some of these charming “complexities” of creative professional life in Addis would go away.
You know, for a pandemic ridden world we are pretty fucking calm and composed. Sure, you hear of puzzling creatures breaking all sorts of quarantine measures to go to the nail salon but all things considered, we kinda got this.
In movies to be precise. There is something to be said about the musical genre. Often times, it’s mistaken for a film where characters are always smiling or just simply singing or dancing their emotions as they come. Yes it is that but it’s also more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been reaching havoc across the world businesses and governments have been scrambling to cope with the effects of the pandemic. In the midst of all this, smaller but bolder initiatives have been arising and giving way to a certain brave stance against a humongous threat and coming up with feasible solutions that will end up saving lives.
Some businesses are doing their part to highlight the battle against COVID-19 and each have approached the matter in their strength. That strength in Sabegn is in their motto “Crafted in Ethiopia”.
My passion for photography was sparked by my late uncle who was a portrait photographer. While he was alive I used to go to his studio and observe him. In 2016, I decided to pursue photography professionally and began teaching myself how to take memorable photographs.
A lot of things inspire me, like human psychology and emotions different states of human joy, happiness and etc. I take inspiration from other artists as well, like Jean-Michel Basquiat, his art has this raw feel, you can see shades of that in my art. I also took pages from DaVinci, he really respects the art he practices and give it the time it deserves.
With the current news over 80 confirmed (and 14 recovered. Important to state those too) cases in the country and the news that the prime minister’s office has closed schools and sporting events as well as other mass gatherings.
As a friend of mine pointed out in her blog (check out corena musings) there is this unexplained gulp in our collective that some of us mistake for symptoms of COVID-19. This tiny particle that could potentially be the end of us.
Is an animated sitcom movie, that is created by me, the story involves around six family members father Dashe, mother Ete, daughter Derry, son 1 Enkush, son 2 Ekuye and house maid Bilcha. We wrote their stories based on many Ethiopians. The family represents the average Ethiopian family. It’s not all laughs and fun, we also discuss important issues about racial differences, children going to school, women rights and other messages that can teach while entertaining. Mender is going to celebrate the many cultures of Ethiopia
Here at GETZ, we are glad that the YEHA digital experience happened before Covid-19 and that we got to experience something unique and met so many creatives around Ethiopia. It felt like a once in a life-time thing and we hope to see it next year.
We are Dot Advert, an advertising company established in 2016, with the vision of enhancing the art of advertising. Dot Advert was founded by a team of four architects – Binyam G., Biruh T., Etana A. & Joseph D. Early on from school days, we were fascinated with art and found ourselves taking different art classes. We also used to experiment with different graphic design software.
The general objective of my projects in this digital paintings was to explore and study about mainly the impacts of color in the digital medium in evoking emotions.
Yeah… productivity at home! Something we all want to have but in reality… can’t adapt either because we have kids (God help you if they’re teenagers or like ask too many questions) or simply because home is just too comfortable. So how do you separate your home space from your work space, At home?
I consider myself as a self-taught artist with some knowledge gained from Art academies. I am highly inspired by the beauty of African ethnic elements such as adornments and symbols which I incorporate in to my artworks. In addition, I also started to use my artworks to represent social issues especially those issues that are a challenge to women in our society. I have been administering my social media page by the name ‘kuku’s pencil’ and using it as platform to share my artworks for the past four years.
So you’re at home. Or will be. And you thought hey, maybe this a good opportunity to get that… we’re gonna call it… project for intents and purposes. You’ll get that project done! Yeah! You’re excited and can’t wait to get a crack at it. It’s amazing. You’re feeling the creative juices owing. It’s getting there. YEAH! FUCK YEAH!
My name is Kunjina Tesfaye, founder and CEO of KUNJINA. I did my bachelor’s degree in construction technology and management at EIABC, Addis Ababa University. Since i was young, I loved fashion and not only wished but knew deep down that I was going to become a fashion designer one day.
In the complexities of the creative life. There is the one thing any true “artist” *looks at himself in a mirror* wants to achieve. Pure art. Yes, that includes when the ministry of health asks you to design a poster to combat open defecation. Because if there is anything that’ll stop it, it’s an artistic poster *looks at himself in a mirror*. But what the client wants is…. Specific *takes off sun glasses* and the specificity doesn’t sit well with you.
Marajane’s life was very simple. She loved French fries with ketchup (who doesn’t) Bruce Lee was her favorite hero and she only had two obsessions. To one day, shave her legs and become the last prophet of the galaxy. With these very bold statements Persepolis, a triumphant achievement in biographical storytelling that unfolds in gorgeous black and white animation.
The main themes in my work are femininity, motherhood, and parenthood. I draw people and moments that touch or touched my heart, such as gestures of the affinity between mothers and their children, families, and friends. The starting point for my works generally is a person I am close to, but as the process progresses, the specific identity of the person is slightly obscured in order to emphasize the movement and rhythm that are created.
The world isn’t fair. Sometimes you’ve got an idea and it’s a brilliant one, but you’re either left alone to do it or other people around you don’t want to help you out because they don’t understand your vision. When Dagem and Nasredin took the Creative Futures Programme’s Event management training back in 2018, they had to form a group from with present trainees and come up with an event idea that they can work on together.
My name is Diana Tekleab. I am a Designer and a 4th Year Architecture student. Also, the founder and designer at inkDin Handmade. I specialize in pattern design and art pieces. The pattern design includes Mandalas and Zen tangles. Mandalas as I define them are shapes filled with patterns. They associate with meditation, balance, and harmony; of patterns, lines and shapes.
My name is GEREMEW TIGABU, a passionate street photographer based in Addis. I believe that the streets of Addis hide many secrets waiting to be scavenged. This passion has led me to present what I love at the Addis Foto Fest 2016, become one of the winners at the 2017 “celebrate Africa photography competition”. My work was also published on the guardian.
I woke up late night on a Wednesday to meet a dead- line I gave to myself. Finish a painting before morning. The problem was, I had nothing. I tried drinking coffee but all that did was excite my empty mind. I felt like I was watching TV but someone else was holding the remote.
Well this month we saw two things that really impressed us the most. One being a series. A mockumentary series about a women only commune that turned wrong. For the characters in the series. For us it’s mostly hilarious.
The premise is fairly simple. A female journalist goes undercover and films her experience in said commune to experience the sudden change of the commune from a women centric thing to well… ah very bizarre cult to an even stranger turn of events.
In an effort not to spoil the film, the getz film review team, will tell you about said film experience in the least spoilery (not a word) way possible and avoid letters from angry Asian film aficionados, Asian film aficionado wannabes and hate mail from the people of NAME REDACTED.
The holiday season in New York is never easy. Especially for an Ethiopian. This time of the year, it’s just mid-2012. For everyone else however, it’s a much bigger deal. To Abebe, the Christmas season puts a whole damper on his mood. A damper he doesn’t need. Especially, because he’s two weeks away from submitting an installation for a charity event aimed at supporting starving children in Africa.
Given the fact that most artists should be the voice of reason and progress and awake your inner anti-capitalist self (ignore that last part if you disagree), it has started sharing a strange ecosystem with the marketing industry. We’re not saying it’s a bad thing, not necessarily, but if you thought of great artistic expression just twenty years ago, in Ethiopia.
When tragedy strikes, often, it leaves a scar too painful to look at that we either can’t stop looking at it and it dictates your life or you ignore and you do everything you can to forget it and it dictates your life. It’s a hard choice. You’re left with two options submit to this fate or do the opposite. Do something completely irrational and unpredictable that it breaks the cycle.
My works generally revolves around, how the certainty of representation relates with the ever changing and dynamic human reality. In the broader sense, representation can be understood as creating a correspondence between the nature of a subject represented and that of the medium employed. The correspondence theory of truth was also one of the well-articulated subjects in modern philosophy.
Abyssinia Design is a team inspired by the culture of Ethiopia and Africa. We like to combine mainly the color, typography, patterns and much more and create unique designs. Our designs mainly focus on minimalism, because when a design is not overcrowded the audience tends to be more receptive.
A Pure obsession with a daily thought process, ” Observe – Think – Create “, constant inspirations, unrestricted intellectual curiosity, and the urge to live within & solve problems are the motives that guide us both as individuals & as a studio. Questioning the default, challenging assumptions are common phrases you hear flying over at Kuncho.
There is a reason why art needs to be specific. This goes more than just putting African Print (a recurring theme, I suppose) on things to make things look African. For us, it’s about leaving an imprint to move a curiosity in its audience.
Photography to me is the art of preserving life; moments captured in a photograph are perfectly preserved while all-else wallows in constant flux. The range of emotions a single photo can radiate is inspiring. I use my photography to tell stories that I feel strongly about.
Have you ever decided one day, just randomly, to design Africa (the country) and represent African lifestyle in designs? Well No worries! This guide is for you! We at Getz decided to give you a small guide on how to design African things. Because it’s that easy. In these easy steps, you will know how to develop designs that speak of the complex but simple nature of African art. How different can it be… Right?
I like to describe myself as an apparel entrepreneur, a fashion designer, a creator of active customer experience, a business woman and a feminist activist, communicating my message through my designs.
As a child, I was a bit difficult because of my curiosity to find out how things were made or become what they are, which usually ended up with me destroying stuff or trying to put things together. This part of me along with my obsession with art made me who I am today.
Inspiration comes from a lot of places and people for me. But If I had to pick my biggest inspiration it is my mother. I grew up watching my mom give up so much but find her calling. And through the process she never once showed sadness or regret.
In the middle ages, the catholic church “hired” all sorts of artists to decorate the inside of chapels and churches. However, if you pay close attention to history (not that we did any deep dive into the relationship between the artists and the church in the middle ages and renaissance times but do we really have to, you prove the point we’re about to state?) not all artists exactly believed in God. However, some needed the coin and others needed to escape the noose (and other horrible deaths) so they played along and painted away the church’s desires.
In Addis, we share spaces with strangers as well as close acquaintances – each with their own understanding and requirement for privacy. Taking the public transit area, specifically the blue mini bus taxis, as a basis for this installation we observe how people behave differently based on the amount of space they put between themselves and others. PROXEMICS, as an attempt to interpret the spatial divide at play across the city, also emphasizes the need to mediate between the dichotomies created through space: visible – invisible, public-private.
As a Muslim woman, I grew up in a community that was conservative and focused on design that is often mute. I felt, that there could be a way in which we can make and follow trends, whilst staying true to the culture. In this way, I draw my inspiration from Islamic patterns, which often lean towards geometric shapes and patterns.
Binyam W. Adenew a CG artist and ASTU Bachelor’s degree graduate majored in architectural engineering. Currently working on visual arts and trying to express ideas and stories through paintings, sculptures… I chose this medium because it aligned perfectly with my skills and it allows me to tell stories and give flesh to moments that are meant to be
narrated.
In relation to this Crownz Global produces value-added “Gabi” made apparel which is a staple textile product of Ethiopia. The threads used to make the product are all locally sourced & sown together by Ethiopians. This can be called African art in a different manner as compared to the case above.
Zoma Museum is a dream come to life for architects, artisits and anyone that loves the relationship Art has with nature. Imagine walking in a space and being hit with both the art in architecture and nature. Inspired by the timeless and structurally sound vernacular architecture of Ethiopia and other parts of the world, Zoma is named after Zoma Shiferraw, a young artist who died of cancer in 1979.
A major part of what makes any message memorable is how one delivers it. Not just the medium of the deliver but also how you frame and portray your message. Communicating is the essence of art and if whatever you’re saying isn’t remembered then what’s the point?
When artists gather in a small space, say a room, ready to devise a project an enticing and reverberating energy ensues. There’s hope, there’s possibility, and there is unbridled passion. One topic that unfailingly deflates this bubble is a conversation surrounding money.
It can be awkward for people starting out in the field to price a project and coming up with a fair number. You know a number between “Yes I’m that good” and “yeah sure pay me whatever”. That’s the sweet spot.
We all like to think that money isn’t an issue when it comes to creative activities. For some reason, people find it okay to avoid paying creatives their due because either the hard work isn’t valued enough or you’re your own worst enemy… “hey… yes… pay me whatever…” or “whatever you think is fair” Either way, most of us are broke and we need a way out.
As a designer, inspiration can come from anywhere. But sometimes influences, attitudes and approaches converge to form a coherent movement that has a knock-on effect around the world.
My creative process come in the form of circumstances & aesthetics. The balance I try to incorporate in my life throughout the day drive me to think of different mediums. The clothes I make come from the colors that reflect my thoughts.
Have you ever gone into a film expecting it to be something and then it ended up being a whole other thing but that whole other thing is like… a million times better than you expected? This, is what Gangs of Wasseypur is. Pure unfiltered fun. There is no other way to describe this film. It’s like you walk in expecting a musical and walk into a chainsaw massacre!!!
My creative process starts with an idea (I run it by a couple of my friends for feedback). I usually try to say something with my images so I want to ensure that my message transfers.
I consider myself to be one of those unlucky individuals born on planet earth (unlike superman) without any innate abilities. It took a lot of sitting in front of the computer and just trying everything until something stuck. Though luckily I did get a massive dose of design skills while taking up architecture at school. They say architecture is the Godfather of all art and I have been blessed with all that it had to offer.
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