Exhibition Statement

          Let’s have a quick trivia. What do you know about Ethiopia? Do you know where in Africa it is located? Do you know something about its history? Do you know that it’s one of the two African nations that have never been colonized? Is there something you may know or have heard about this country? Throughout my time in this country, no one could answer that question. Coming into this country at a young age, I expected to find people that were familiar with my culture. I was unfortunate to find no one who was familiar with that culture. In fact, having that identity made me quite unpopular in high school. I felt like an uncultured foreigner. In addition to that, I felt alone. In the desperation of fitting in, I completely suppressed my Ethiopian culture. Years of desperate assimilations later, I understood that my Ethiopian experience was way more valuable and memorable to me than my time here. After noticing that, I have fully embraced my nation and pridefully claimed it as my own. And I want to show the grace and beauty of this country. I also want to prove to myself and to others that their Identity should never be suppressed. It should be flaunted like a flag on a great victory. Like the great victory of Adwa which prevented the Italians from imperializing Ethiopia in the 19th century. There are so many great experiences Ethiopia could give to the people.

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Literature Review. 

         Inspiring artists like Mulatu Astatke who was born in Ethiopia but has studied in Europe and New York and now has reimagined Jazz to fit the Ethiopian musical theme. He has taught me to use an art medium to magnify Ethiopia and its unique art. Artists like Abel Tesfaye(The Weeknd), Ruth B, and Amine who reference their Amharic language in their art and bring Ethiopia to the light have been great inspirations in my pursuit of this project. My least ambitious goal is to just inform the people that this country exists and send people off with one significant piece of information about this country.

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Subject –

Pier. “Ethiopian Culture.” Cultural Atlas, https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/ethiopian-culture/ethiopian-culture-core-concepts.

Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. “Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Accessed December 13, 2021. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/19/.

“Fasil Ghebbi.” Site - Fasil Ghebbi - Gondar. Accessed December 13, 2021. https://www.zamaniproject.org/site-ethiopia-gondar-fasil-ghebbi.html.

 “Fasil Ghebbi: The Royal Enclosure: Brilliant Ethiopia: Brilliant Ethiopia.” The Royal Enclosure | Brilliant Ethiopia. Accessed December 13, 2021. https://www.brilliant-ethiopia.com/fasil-ghebbi.

“Fasilides Castle in Gondar.” WHAT IS FASILIDES' CASTLE IN GONDAR, ETHIOPIA? Accessed December 12, 2021. https://www.nationalparks-worldwide.com/eaf/ethiopia/gondar/fasilides-castle.html. 

https://www.ethiopiaonlinevisa.com/churches-lalibela-ethiopia-holy-city/

https://flaunt.com/content/ruth-b-canadian-ethiopian-singer-songwriter-plans-to-write-amp-produce-her-own-album

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Methods. Initially, I wanted to make my project scholarly so looking through the online library and online descriptions really helped in find the history and architecture of Ethiopia. As much as they helped in defining the art of Ethiopia, they were too objective and told no emotional story. Turning to people that have visited this country recently appeared to be a better option so I advanced with that. The people I discussed this stuff with were my family and friends who shared my passion for the nation and they were more than happy to discuss it with me. In addition to that, my architecture professor was really crucial in arranging and researching my collage style. My capstone advisor Heather-Erin Bremenstuhl was also crucial in shaping my college style and also shaping my entire project. The combination of all these people was influential in how my capstone project turned out.

Audience & Impact. 

 The targeted audience for my project is non-Ethiopians and Ethiopians that have lost touch with their heritage. The issue of Americans being oblivious to this part of the world is quite troubling to me and with the artistic tools I have been given, I want to use it to put my country in the spotlight. Showing it’s fantastic features and places one can explore would not only inform the people about this nation, but it also places an attachment to a country they barely know. My goal is to fulfill this goal. This project is very personal to me and I want it to be personal to them.

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References. 

•  Mulatu Astatke and Ethio jazz track with a bit of Tilahun Gessesse were influential references. 

• “Both my parents immigrated from Ethiopia to Edmonton about 30 years ago. Definitely a big part of my life growing up, they’re pretty adamant on making sure that my brother and I retained the culture. I grew up listening to a lot of Ethiopian music, that's definitely played its way into my songwriting.”(Ruth B)

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Acknowledgements. Heather-Erin has been my guide throughout this capstone-making process. Each week, She told me what my project was lacking, what I'm doing right, and what direction is best to head. I was struggling with making time to do my capstone project and she has been crucial in appropriately scaling my project. Heather is key in having a result by arts fest and she's also played a huge part in why I'm satisfied with my project.