BY YOHANES JEMANEH
Lines are both an end and a beginning in defining one’s identity in a place. It is in the physicality and non physicality of borders and in the luminal zone between here and there that the differentiation between us and them, ours and theirs takes place and the feelings of inclusion, exclusion and otherness arise.
This inspires me to explore how displacement and the process of assimilating oneself to a foreign environment or culture impact the formation of new identity and construction of the self.
“I am drawn to the politics of geopolitical borderlines because they are the transformational spaces where opposites meet and are altered into another space physically and metaphorically,” stated Painter Amare Selfu. He is currently displaying his show titled “The Story of Us” in Addis Ababa. The show will remain open until 18 December 2020.
Amare is a multidisciplinary artist and educator born in Ethiopia and based in the US State of Maryland. He graduated with highest honors from Addis Ababa University’s Alle School of Fine Arts and Design (ASFAD) in 2004. He went on to serve as chair of the ASFAD Painting Department while teaching painting and drawing for eight years. He currently teaches at Maryland Institute College of Art and Montgomery College. Amare has exhibited his works in Ethiopia, USA, UK and France.
This one “The Story of Us” is his second solo show in Ethiopia. Fortunately he got the chance to facilitate the show at the Modern Art Museum of GebrekristosDesta Centre, famous art museum in the capital named after the prominent painter and poet Gebrekirstos who was skilled in abstract painting as Amare do.
In fact, these two artists have almost similar life journey passing through various ups and downs at home and abroad and trying to depict this tiresome journey in their paintings.
Amare was a figurative artist who depicts daily routine before he went abroad (the US).But when he went there, everything has changed. “Not only my painting style that are changed at the time, but also my perception and experience. I entered into abstract painting not due to my intentional inclination but the challenges in the new environment tended me to see life from this perspective,” he said.
When you live in your own country, you know the people, the language and culture. And you feel like you are part of the community. But, when you are displaced, you try to settle in that new space. And you try to assimilate yourself with the new environment, he noted. “That is not really a simple process. Assimilating oneself in a new culture is a very challenging process because you have to adapt the culture, learn the language and the way they live.” This was the first challenge that faced Amare as a new resident in the US.
I was new to the school and the students who have different language, skin color and life background with me. Then I feel like ‘this place is not mine.’ I don’t laugh for the jock of my batches not due to the language but on the substance or context of their fun. Through this,I delineate myself, as to Amare.
The color, language and culture separation will put pressure on new comers. Such prejudice that obliged someone to assimilate himself to get relief though the process is challenging. And Amare draws this transformation of thought through his lines in an abstract form. If there is this space of “yours and mine” how can we separate and visualize that. As a result, I start to draw line to tell this story and the everyday life. And this is the reason why I tended to paint in abstract style, he expressed.
Abstract is all about visual language. And I don’t expect my audiences to equally understand my paintings regardless of culture and geographic barriers. At the same time, I don’t expect them to understand my paintings similar to I do.
In fact, Amare believed people will get confused when they try to give interpretation to a given abstract painting. But, they don’t need to analyze or interpret an abstract if they just want to get a message that makes them happy. They just need to go there, look at the painting [the lines, the colors, scale of the painting] and try to understand what makes them happy, sad or other feelings.
Abstract is the best painting style to reveal Amare’s feelings but not the only mechanism since he prefer other mediums of illustration based on his feelings. I have to find the right medium to the right idea or the right application to the right concept. He said: “to me, abstract is the best medium to deliver message to viewers. It helps to illustrate mental mapping, conceptual lines, and physical marks.”
Usually, he used to paint after 8 pm in the night. Sometimes, based on his schedule, he paints after class. He has three kids. As a father, I have a lot of responsibilities to play out at home. Fortunately, my amazing wife is with me all the time.
That’s why I have worked these paintings. Again, my children never bother me when I paint. And this is really a blessing to have such kind of family especially to an artist, according to Amare. Actually they love paintings since they have no other options as they grow up looking the paintings and smelling the colors.
Comparing about his childhood with that of his children, Amare feels blessing just to fulfill their interest that he had not the chance to exhibit artistic displays. But this was not due to the reluctance of his parents, rather, due to the culture of the community.
Whatever the case, he amazed by his parents’ supportive response when he first told them he want to join art school. “This is amazing because many of parents in our country won’t give more options to their children than to be a doctor, pilot.” Even there were times that his mother stuffed him with the needed materials supportive to his artistic trials in his early days. This enabled him to develop his skills through time as it inspired him to tend more to art in passion. “That is why I still love my career,” Amare mentioned.
Otherwise, it would have been very hard to be successful in life especially here in Ethiopia where there is only one art school. So, it is very difficult to be a student there. The competition was very high each year. However, Amare had a delighting school life at Alle School of Fine Arts and Design (ASFAD)where he pursued his passion by great teachers who are also top artists in the field. “It was just a great experience.”
Graduating in 2004, Amare has got the chance to teach in the school which is an amazing opportunity that allowed him to serve his school for eight years. He was also a painting department chair for two years. Then he left the school in 2012 to pursue his education in the US. Amare learned Studio Art at Maryland Institute College of Art. And he received his MFA in Studio Art from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2015. “They offered me to teach there,” one more additional opportunity in his life.
He said that his parents were the role model of his life since they taught him strength and the pursuit of wisdom to fight for his passion. His school advisor like Tadesse Mesfin, Bekele Mekonnen or Mezgebu Tessema, who were also notable artists, are his role models in his profession. As a student he has been growing wishing to be as successful as them.
It is also a blessing to hang on and display my paintings in a wall named after Geberekirstos Desta since he is a prominent artists all time in the history of the country. Living abroad is difficult.
Life as an artist is difficult, Amare said. “Especially in our country art is perceived as a luxury thing.”And the government taxes it in this way without consideration. There is also shortage of artistic materials and tools. As an artist, if you don’t have the right tool, you can’t be creative painter. Contrary, the availability of the needed latest tool or application will enable you to come up with new techniques and pieces.
It is very sad to understand the shortage of the tool is due to system. The government still tax acrylic or oil painting like a special or luxury item. But this is a very basic staff.
The government ought to wok to reform such policies and systems. It is very sad to know this does not exist in the rest of the world. When I display show in other countries I just ship any number of works but here everything is unbelievable. Ethiopia seems the only nation on earth to tax on painting. “I will not be comfortable to show further exhibition.”
He brought 21 pieces to the exhibition and a single installation and video. The theme of the video is They Were There. There are different ways to understand ones presence. If s/he leaves that place s/he will leave some mark on that area. That mark tells that someone was there in a specific period of time. It may be footprint, tool or something. But in this video the footprint of the people in the beach is witnessed washed by the wave at the shore. The metaphor is to describe losing of identity due to cultural assimilation.
Amare planned to continue in the same career since it allows him to stay astute of life changes and depict these changes in a way the whole world desires to see via artistic pieces.“I will keep paint and think. As a professional artist, this is what I do.” By doing so he will satisfy his thirst to art and this also helps him to arrange his next show as this will enable him to have several paintings both in item and variety.
The Ethiopian Herald December 9/2020
