(An emerging Ethiopian painter stamping footprints in nonrepresentational art)
A South African multidisciplinary artist Chrisél Attewell, once defined Ethiopia as a Country, whose cultures and artistic traditions kept for its-self because of its remoteness throughout the millennia. In other words, the Country has been continuously fighting for independence from colonial and invading forces for centuries, with its hard topography inaccessible and protective against external forces. According to the artist, in Ethiopia, popular art ranges from early Christian art, seen in manuscripts, murals, and artifacts, to modern art movements, such as realism, expressionism, and world-class contemporary art.
Since the history of art in Ethiopia goes back to the rise and fall of several ancient kingdoms and the present day, several artists have been coming up with styles that embraced the visual arts with their unique styles and creativity.
Ruth Getachew is an artist of the modern age. She believes that even though human beings are visual creatures, there’s a great mystery lying on the opposite side of what they think they perceive every day. She says that in her works of art, she has been trying to make people experience different E-motions (energy in motions/ vibrations). She also chose the abstract collage technique because she loves magazines as well as cutting, and attaching things.
Explaining how she was introduced to the world of arts she said, as far as she remembered her past, self-creating visual art was part of her whole life. My parents say I started it at an early age. “My father used to give me pens or pencils with papers to get me occupied while my parents had to work around. So, sitting near my father I used to draw. That is how my talent showed up initially.” The artist also told The Ethiopian Herald that her parents sent her to a summer art class at Abyssinia Fine Arts & Modeling School when she was 7 years old. “I continued the summer art class for another 5 consecutive years too. It also enabled me to participate in the group art exhibitions the school organized at the end of those summers. The school made me to take other classes with the adults.”
Ruth also remembers that an art piece, she came up with when very young, proved very influential in the school. As such it was displayed in the school compound for students and parents to feast their eyes on.
“My childhood wasn’t confined to creativity related to drawing or painting things, I also grew up displaying various kinds of talents and creativity both at school and home. I also took one-to-one art classes under tutorship of visual artist Dawit Adnew and visual artist Leikun Nahusenay in 2015”, she says.
Later on, as a 10th and 11th grader, in 2015 1st 2016, she attended several arts competitions organized by numerous actors including the Addis Ababa City Administration and its Culture and Tourism Bureau.
She also recalls participating in various “Africa and Art” related conferences, workshops, and other programs (with different associations and centers) as she, most of the time, contributed her artworks.
“I was a second-year architecture student at EiABC at that time but the following year I chose to move to Alle School of Fine Arts and Design (AAU) from where I received a BFA degree in 2023 GC. After that here I am working dominantly on the theme I graduated on,” she added.
Ruth adores colors as they inspire her when she sees them in different places especially fitting each other by accident on things that are randomly placed. The other inspiration for the young artist is nature. “I have a great connection with flowers, their colors, delicacy, and so on. I am inspired by colors, patterns, shapes, etc., on people’s clothes buildings while I walk around streets,” she adds.
The things that inspire this particular artist include other people’s works of art, listening to or reading biographies of visual artists she admires, and engaging in conversations with them. She indicates that magazines are one of the main reasons which led her to the technique of collage.
Speaking of what her works of art indicate, she says, one of the primary themes she depicts now is titled “Vibration”. “I do nonrepresentational collage artworks, which evoke different E-MOTIONS (energy in motions) by their colors, shapes, etc. arrangements as they are perceived. Emotions are our vibrations.” According to her, if someone is angry, s/he is vibrating at 150 Hz. If people are in joy, the measure will be 540 Hz, and so on. In this case, she explains that her artwork has an impact on people’s vibrations.
“I believe in this world; we have been giving so much focus to what is seen; what quantum physics says is only 0.00001% of anything. And not only the unseen 99.99999% of anything, which is just energy, is the major constituent of reality, the fact that it is in constant vibration also affects everything, including our lives.”
She also believes that people’s eyes are limited and cannot see, but everything is just energy at a constant vibration, including things that are perceived as solid to the eyes, be it a stone or even body parts.
She also says that it is scientifically proven that human beings’ vibration affects their awareness level, their proper thinking capacity, and their health. According to her, people’s vibrations attract other things with similar vibrations. It is her perception that human beings’ vibrations attract abundance or scarcity to their lives too. Vibrations are contagious. Higher vibrations heal. The artist relates this to reality and the reason why people’s sickness subsides when they start listening to their favorite music. “It is because it changes your vibration. And no one vibrating high ( love 500 Hz, joy 540 Hz, peace 600 Hz, enlightenment 700 + Hz ) wants to kill another human being or eradicate the earth for a selfish need,” she underlines.
She also strongly suggests the importance of giving more attention and purposefully associating and thinking about the above concept in any of people’s activities. “I want my viewers to consciously sense their vibrations as they see the different colors, sizes, textures, and forms or arrangements found in my artworks. My main target is to get us into an activity of conscious vibration sensing and checking from inside of us,” she noted.
The second primary theme the artist explores is “Vibration and Africa.” She says, “I do my compositions like my first theme, but I include elements that talk about Africa inside them, most of the time not in a nonrepresentational way in this case.”
When Ruth explained the process of doing her current themes, she first cut papers from magazines that she bought or collected. Then she arranges them based on color, texture, and size. On the other hand, she ground papers, let them dry, and did one or multiple of the following, which are: painting, printing, drawing, and coloring, dotting, some sort of marking, and writing. She also tries to create different textures and appearances using different techniques and materials. “Then I start randomly trying different arrangements on a canvas, MDF board, or paper, sometimes which were initially painted some specific or general color. I attach when I find a satisfying combination.”
The composition then develops further based on her intuition and thoughts on art elements and principles. “It can be a texture I saw on something or found on some newly found magazine piece, or it can be a pattern I created later on. I may also make additional marks or apply some pencil colors to the already attached collage pieces. Sometimes I find good compositions accidentally arranged on their own from gathered magazine pieces, my paintings, etc. cut-out papers. I take advantage of this kind of moment too.”
The artist also does various composition sketches, usually just using pens and pencils on small papers. Sometimes she uses them as a springboard.
“When it comes to my theme, “Vibration and Africa,” I consider the information I gathered and thought of Africa alongside the process I mentioned above. And the concept of “vibration” was something I researched and reflected on mentally for a long time while I was attending my last years at university and after graduation. Even if I didn’t stop gathering information or reflecting, I am more focused on the other parts of my art creation and self-learning processes,” she adds.
According to Ruth, nonrepresentational art is not that much celebrated in the society we live in and there are still parts of the community who constantly reflect their limited, discouraging opinions on visual art and artists making a life out of it. “Well, don’t regard such misconceptions, but I try my best to stay grounded in my beliefs. But there is still so much to do with elevating this industry, and awareness and attitude also contribute.” In addition to the misconceptions, she believes that art materials in Addis Ababa have become even more expensive and scarce, which is somehow related to the things she mentioned above. She notes that renting or staying rented in one’s studio has its struggles and difficulties too, especially for a woman artist. In general, most of the visual artists she has ever known closely, especially those who are emerging artists are most of the time challenged financially, according to her.
In this case, she also agrees that it is a better time for better self-exposure and also for capturing opportunities if used to one’s advantage. “Anyways, I believe it is a matter of process, patience, and also not giving up. I choose to use things that are available and accessible and still keep working instead of giving up at times of financial shortages. And I try to take advantage of it when money is found. There are personal life hardships that cast their shadows on your artistic career too. For that, I pray and read encouraging books, and I try to see how far I have come and also how I tackled obstacles before.”
BY NAOL GIRMA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 2 JUNE 2024
