Yared Nigussu, Ethiopian born Canadian painter, was born and raised in Addis Ababa, in a village customarily known as Dejach Webe Sefer. As a little boy, Yared was truly a gifted artist though he did not prove that until his mathematics teacher, who got tired of punishing the little Yared, for failing to work on math assignments, encouraged him to pursue art. This was a God sent opportunity for the little painter who is given unreserved right from his mathematics teacher to enjoy art.
Starting from that moment, Yared kept on busying himself by depicting several still objects on his canvas which in turn impressed his teacher and paved the road to his present career.
Currently, Yared is one of the renowned artists settling in Canada, Vancouver, where he has owned his own private art studio. Yared, though residing thousands of kilometers away from his motherland Ethiopia, but his Ethiopian sentiment has not faded away; but still fresh; and he is considering himself as an ambassador to his country.
Recently, The Ethiopian Herald had a chance to interview him about Ethiopian sentiment and his creative works of art in time he came to Ethiopia, Addis Ababa to visit his families and friends.
According to Yared, Ethiopian sentiment cannot be explained in one or two words. It is beyond words. “You cannot explain it but you live it. For me, Ethiopian sentiment is like a long journey where one can learn a lot of lesson out of it. I might be residing thousands of Kilometers far from my birthplace, Ethiopia; but Ethiopia is still in my heart. Each and every childhood memories, the traditional and cultural practices I used to observe in Ethiopia are still fresh in my mind.
There are a lot of incidents that provoke nostalgic memories and feelings in my mind and heart. For instance, let alone the other things, whenever the Black History month is celebrated, Ethiopia and its history take the lead all over the world. The heroic deeds Ethiopians scored against colonization, is still a dominant part of African history. This and other instances always inspired me to say something about my country via my canvas and brushes.”
According to him, anyone who positively represents Ethiopia in the international arena is a patriot. “For instance, he continued, lately, in remembrance of Black History Month, I was selected to design the Vancouver Canucks’ special warm-up jerseys. Using my talent and Ethiopian background, I was able to design Canucks’ Black History Month jersey. On which I have featured Ethiopian Ge’ez numbers on Canucks’ warm-up jerseys and the stick-in-rink shoulder patches which represent Ethiopians’ Genna sticks- which are used in traditional Ethiopian field hockey.
“Ethiopia, aside from being an icon to the whole African countries, has a lot to offer to the world. It is a land with ancient history and the only African country that has its own calendar, the world’s oldest living alphabets and Geez, numerals. That is what I tried to show to the world through my work when I was selected to design Black History Month warm-up jerseys for Vancouver Canucks. This is the other way of expressing Ethiopian sentiment and it is the least I can do to promote my country in the global arenas.”
While replying to question how he defines visual art, Yared said that art is an innate gift from the creator to all human beings. What makes a painter different from others is it requires dedication, commitment and passion. Ability to see things from different perspectives is the other element that is needed to develop the talent. One should be committed to nurture his/her gifts with training and passion. “That is what happened to me. I have a special love of art and I gave whatever I had to art.”
“I believe that art is a borderless concept and an artist is an international citizen. As an international citizen every artist has a duty to influence others by his/her works and to be influenced by others. But, this only happens if that particular artist is willing to embrace life as it is,” he elucidated.
Yared also highlighted the importance of promoting and supporting art in any society. According to him, Ethiopia is a land where several artists and handicrafts men are found. Indeed, there were times where some members of the society, especially handicrafts men were out-casted despite their incalculable social and economic values.
“Art in all its forms is not only for an individual but also to the whole country. I recently visited one of the developed and modern cities. But this city has no unique and indigenous art. This, in turn, has overshadowed its richness and modernity. Art and culture are privileges by themselves.
We Ethiopians used to undermine the works of craftsmen. But, these people and their works are a reflection of artistic values of a particular society. No matter how traditional that society is, if there are artists and art works it is still modern and civilized,” Yared opined.
While talking about his question raised in relation to what his life principle is, Yared said: “life for every painter might have different meaning. For me, family is my top priority and philosophy; for the reason it is where I see the true taste of life. Next to family, valuing what the creator entrusted to us should take special consideration. For me, art is what the Lord gave me and I value it most. Every painter is a servant to his art and to the creator. Harmonizing the two and respecting the creator is the secret behind a happy life. While I admire and enjoy the world of art, I also value all the rules of the creator,” he remarked.
BY LEULSEGED WORKU
The Ethiopian Herald July 27/2023
