Out of Africa Two Exhibits Highlight Importance of Ethiopian Art by Carolyn Chapman Outside of Addis Ababa, Ethiopiaís capital city, Washington, D.C., is home to the largest Ethiopian community in the world, which makes the National Museum of African Art an ideal venue to hold the first major exhibition of contemporary art from the Ethiopian Diaspora, along with a smaller exhibition on traditional Ethiopian religious art. The diverse works on display in ìEthiopian Passages: Dialogues in the Diasporaî include paintings, collages, sculpture, digital photography, mixed media pieces and paper-m?che pieces, all done by 10 Ethiopian-born artists who are part of the Ethiopian Diaspora. The nationís capital has played an important role in many of the artistsí careers: Three currently live in Washington, and six have either studied at or been associated with Howard University. One artist, Alexander ìSkunderî Boghossian, was a Howard professor for more than 25 years and continues to play an important role in bringing the Ethiopian and American arts communities together. Like the other artists, Boghossianís strong and lasting attachment to Ethiopia has defined his artistic style, subjects and even his use of materials. In ìTime Cycle III,î he uses bark (used for Ethiopian burials) that he collected in Uganda to create a cosmological, abstract composition that pays homage to the African natural world. The Ethiopian connection is even stronger in his oil painting ìThe End of the Beginning,î in which Boghossian depicts a historical site related to the 1974 Ethiopian Revolution. Location, migration, exile and the sense of lossóand at the same time freedomóthat accompany these Ethiopian themes are important factors in most of the works displayed in the exhibit. These eclectic artists also use their own memories as a tool for creativity, a source of inspiration, and an anchor to place themselves and their subjects in a broader context. Elisabeth Atnafu, for example, who now lives and works in New York, uses memory and storytelling in her series of 18 female figures, ìDream Dancers,î to continue Ethiopian lore and keep its cultural traditions alive through her personal memories. This exhibition is not a comprehensive survey of Ethiopian contemporary art, instead attempting to show how each artist uses the relationship with the Ethiopian homeland they left behind to define their current body of work. Reflecting more on the past than the present, the smaller exhibit ìEthiopian Icons: Faith and Scienceî focuses on traditional Ethiopian religious art and the modern scientific techniques used to help us better understand it. The exhibit features six Ethiopian Christian Orthodox icons dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries, which have recently been restored under a projectóone of the first of its kindóthat also studied the materials and artistic techniques behind the icons. In the fourth century, an Ethiopian king was converted to Christianity, and in the centuries to come, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church would become a great unifying force throughout the diverse country. In most cases, artists were commissioned by members of the church to paint various icons. Rather than being kept as personal possessions, the icons were then donated to the church in the hopes of receiving some kind of blessing or divine intercession in return. Ethiopian icons are most easily characterized by their use of patterns and bright colors and the recurrence of specific images, symbols and themes. Like icons from other cultures, the Virgin Mary and various Christian saints play prominent roles in the Ethiopian design pattern. However, Ethiopian icons also make references to themes specific to Ethiopia, such as local saints and customs and scenes from everyday life. Interestingly, a widely circulated engraving based on an icon in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome had a tremendous, long-lasting influence on Ethiopian icon painters and the scenes they portrayed. In ìEthiopian Icons,î the science used to restore and research the icons is just as important as the icons themselves. These six restored icons are the product of a yearlong project undertaken by conservators at the African Art Museum, which has provided art historians with unique insight into the techniques and materials used to create the icons, as well as their artistic composition. ìEthiopian Passages: Dialogues in the Diasporaî and ìEthiopian Icons: Faith and Scienceî run through Oct. 5 at the National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave., SW. For more information, please call (202) 357-4600 or visit www.si.edu/nmafa. Carolyn Chapman is an arts writer for The Washington Diplomat. Modern Nomads While two exhibits at the National Museum of African Art explore past and present Ethiopian artistic contributions, another exhibition, ìJourneys and Destinations: African Artists on the Move,î brings together the works of six contemporary artists to examine the larger Diaspora of African artists living in Europe and the United States. The works in ìJourneys and Destinationsî are as diverse as the artistsí stories behind them. The common thread that ties these eclectic pieces together is that each of the six artists has spent a great deal of their lives leading a nomadic lifestyle, without any borders or sense of permanency. Leaving their native countries behind and moving from place to place in the United States and Europe, these artists had a wide range of educational, cultural and artistic opportunities at their disposal, which is reflected in these works. The artists hail from CÙte díIvoire, Ghana, Libya, Nigeria and the Sudan, and their motivations for leaving Africa are as complex and varied as their backgrounds. Included in the exhibition are their sculptures, paintings and mixed-media works, some of which directly reflect the nomadic experiences of their creators while others tackle completely different themes. It is a small exhibition that successfully highlights the importance of the African experience and what it means to be an African artist within the larger contemporary art world. ìJourneys and Destinations: African Artists on the Moveî runs through Nov. 30 at the National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave., SW. For more information, please call (202) 357-4600 or visit www.si.edu/nmafa. --Carolyn Chapman