"CIRCLE" Installation 2022 G-K Bergen
“Circle" Installations feature a versatile circular screen made from metal, fabric, blue beads, and a black door frame. Spread across separate walls and in the Gallery space, the pieces are interconnected through reflective mirrors, creating a dream-like atmosphere. The installations explore themes of selfhood, fragmentation, and integration, using stop-motion footage, sculptures, audio video, and narration.
“New blue,” 2021 HKS Bergen, Installation, Participatory presentation and workshop
“NEW BLUE” was an installation featuring three large-scale tents, songs, audio recordings, and text. Two tents were built using traditional techniques with yellow plastic, crochet textile, red fabric, wood, and metals. The third, in blue, invited collective imagination of peace. Each tent’s materials, color, and sound depicted survival tactics and loss. Sounds included chants from Entoto Kidane Meheret, refugee camp recordings, and my compositions in Amharic, Ge’ez, and Roadrunner.
The yellow tent replicated a 1990 refugee shelter in Marsabit, Kenya. The red tent used new and old fabrics from Nairobi’s slums. Texts were in Ge’ez and Roadrunner.“NEW BLUE” was presented at HKS as part of the exhibition “That Familiar Place That Hurts and Holds,” curated by Amber Ablett.
"Drop To Fetch"(ውሃ፡ቅዳ፡ውሀ፡መልስ፡) 2018-20
Installation/ Performance / Voice Over Presented in Turku, Finland; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Oslo and Bergen, Norway (2018-2019)
“Drop to Fetch ( Spilling and Fetching Water”)This installation and performance, featuring a voice-over from “የአባይን ልጅ ውሃ ጠማው” (The Son of Nile is Thirsty), explores African immigration and environmental issues related to springs and rivers. It symbolizes the endless journey and struggles of migrants. Elements include a traditional pot, bottled water, and a sculpture made from an old faucet, pipe, clay, and cans, highlighting authority and borders related to water. The performance adapted to each location, with local actors and varied setups, creating unique experiences in Turku, Addis Ababa, Oslo, and Bergen.
"I Have a Cow on the Sky, That I Don't See the Milk"(ላም፡አለኝ፡በሰማይ፡ወተቷን፡የማላይ።)-2015-2019
Installation and participatory performance presented in various locations between 2015-2019, including Bergen, Oslo, Stavanger in Norway, Dresden in Germany, Verburg in Sweden, and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The installation incorporates documentary videos and text. Video link: Have a cow no milk
“Daughters of farmers” 2015-2020 Bergen Norway, Addis Ababa Ethiopia
"Daughters of Farmers" is an interactive installation and performance with voiceover audio, a live chicken, and traditional brewed drink Tej. The exhibition encourages live, playful interaction and creates a homelike atmosphere in the gallery space. The voiceover "I Am a Daughter of Farmers" presents a fictional, poetic script derived from multiple layers of biographical stories.
“Kijiji” Installation 2012-2020
The “Kijiji” installation creates a social atmosphere that evokes memory and emotion, inviting viewers to become part of the piece. It features a replica of a temporary Kijiji house filled with locally sourced materials. As visitors interact, the space evolves, documenting life and fostering social interaction. In Swahili slang, ‘Kijiji house’ refers to temporary homes built by urban migrants using leftover materials or crowded dwellings on unauthorized land, commonly known as slums. The interactive performance includes serving honey mead wine and organic food, allowing the space to tell its story. Kijiji has been presented in various locations, including Bergen, Norway Machos kayole Nairobi, Kenya, Agena, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as part of a socially engaged art project since 2012.
Lusting Tongue Installation 2011 Oslo
The Lusting Tongue installation is an experimental work that mixes soft and strong materials. Rubber is combined with aluminum and metal springs, allowing the sculpture to move and shake in slow motion as the temperature changes or wind blows. This installation not only explores the interaction of soft, fragile, and strong materials but also tells a painful story in a metaphorical way.