The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Cutting edge art movement emerges in Ethiopia Posted: 01 Apr 2013 07:55 AM PDT ADIS ABABA, April 1 — Under a canopy of trees in a park not far from Addis Ababa's National Museum, home of many of Ethiopia's historic national treasures, a contemporary art revolution is quietly afoot. It is here at Netsa Art Village that the experimental work made from shoelaces by Merhet Debebe can be found, or the vibrantly-coloured work of Tamrat Gazahegn, who uses tree trunks as canvases.
The collective, the only one of its kind in Ethiopia, is made up of 15 artists who are spearheading Ethiopia's contemporary art movement, shifting away from endless copies of Ethiopia's ancient Coptic Christian paintings. Still in its infancy, the movement marks a daring shift away from the commercial art that dominates many of Ethiopia's mainstream galleries, and seeks to put the country on the map in the international art world as a source for cutting edge work. "We're trying to say that Ethiopia is not just a place for cultural and historic and prehistoric treasures, but contemporary work too," said Desta Meghoo, an art curator living in Ethiopia. "We don't want to continue to be a footnote in art." Ethiopia held its first international art exhibition earlier this month. The show, at the capital's National Museum, co-curated by Meghoo, displayed the work of young, relatively unknown Ethiopian painters next to the works of famed international artists, including Brazil's Oscar Niemeyer and Portugal's Paula Rego. For Ethiopian painter Merid Tafesse, who had two pieces in the show, the exhibition is an opportunity to tell the world that there is more to Ethiopian art than the kitsch sold to tourists. "This is good not just for me as an artist" said the dread-locked artist, smoking a cigarette. "Most Ethiopians cannot see where Ethiopia is in the fine arts industry, so this will give good exposure," he added. He said most buyers look for cliches in Ethiopian art - wide-eyed cherubs, traditional crosses, worshippers in white mantles - but he and his contemporaries are producing work outside that box, even if it means suffering commercially. "It is easier for most people to connect with the commercial art because they see some motif of the church, or some cultural clothes, so they think that represents Ethiopia better. But the personal expression ... of an artist is what makes it art nowadays," he said. Some artists, namely Tamrat, are using themes found in traditional Ethiopian art, but in experimental ways. He paints scripture on traditional-looking scrolls, for example, but the words are his, not lifted from the Bible, and the scrolls are painted in vibrant greens, yellows and oranges, not a common palette in traditional art. Emerged from modernism, stunted by lack of scholarship As striking as the work is, Mehret said most artists struggle to make a living. Though the collective provides a space for artists to produce their work, it does not guarantee sales. Merhet, one of the collective's founders, hopes to see a time where "the artist is free of struggling to survive." "I am hoping to get that opportunity for the artists here. At this pace, I don't know that it will come soon, but I hope, I hope," she said, laughing off the notion that she can earn a living from her performance pieces in which she uses shoelaces. "Commercially I cannot say it has been successful selling the art works," she said. Today's contemporary art movement is an outgrowth of Ethiopian modernism, which emerged in the 1950s and 1960s to much international acclaim. Modernism went quiet in the 1970s, with the takeover by the repressive Communist junta, called the Derg. Creativity was stunted and many artists fled, while those who stayed were permitted only to produce socialist-inspired revolutionary work. Today, experimental creativity is reemerging, which Ethiopian art scholar Elizabeth Woldegiorgis attributes to greater access to the outside world through the internet and the Addis Ababa School of Fine Arts, the only establishment of its kind in Ethiopia. Elizabeth, who also runs the country's only modern art gallery, said the absence of scholarship and critical analysis in the country is stunting contemporary art, making it difficult for artists to gain international acclaim and sell their work on the international market. "An internationally-acclaimed artist has not been produced in Ethiopia," she said. To date, there have been no major sales by Ethiopian artists abroad, save for Ethiopian-born, American-raised artist Julie Merhetu who was commissioned by Goldman Sachs to create a mural in their New York offices for $5 million (RM15 million). Locally, works sell for much less: typically the work of Tamrat and Merid fetch $1,500 (RM4,500) to $3,000, paltry sums by comparison. But Meghoo remains optimistic, believing it is only a mater of time before Ethiopian work will be featured in the contemporary section of international galleries such as New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). "Merid's work is in the MoMA's archives, mind you, it's not been on the walls yet, but the MoMA also declined Basquiat's work," she said, with a smile, referring to the acclaimed late New York-born graffiti pioneer Jean-Michel Basquiat. — AFP-Relaxnews |
| Looking for a fitness buddy? Get a dog Posted: 01 Apr 2013 06:19 AM PDT
Experts say a dog may be man's best fitness friend, and dog-and-master workouts don't have to be limited to a run on the beach or a Frisbee toss. "Unlike humans, their motivation never peters out. Dogs don't drop off one by one, like other fitness buddies," said Dr. Marty Becker, an Idaho-based veterinarian and author of "Fitness Unleashed: A Dog and Owner's Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together." Becker cited statistics he said show that 56 per cent of dogs and cats and 66 per cent of people are overweight in America. Bow Wow Bootcamp, Tai Chi Wa Wa and Pupilates, are a few of the group fitness class offered to humans and their dogs at K9 Fit Club, which has locations in Illinois, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Florida. Founder Tricia Montgomery was working for the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association when the idea of a gym for people and pets occurred to her. Behind the cute names is a serious purpose. "We are not just a bunch of people getting together with our dogs," said Montgomery. "Our programmes are designed by certified trainers and psychologists." Fitness professionals and animal trainers lead the 55-minute classes, she said, which are limited to eight to 10 people and their pets. "Every one of the classes we do follows a complete (client) assessment that includes a behaviour assessment for the companion animal," Montgomery explained. For people without a dog, the gym will work with a shelter to provide one, she said. "Some people I deal with are morbidly obese. They're intimidated by gyms," she said. "The dog's not going to judge you. And they'll never cancel on you." San Diego, California-based fitness trainer Tamilee Webb incorporates her three-legged shi tzu Izzie in much of her daily regime. "If I go for walk or hike, she's in a doggy backpack to add a little extra weight," said Webb. "I'll do squats, lunges and pushes and she'll still be on my back." Webb is the creator of the "Buns of Steel" and "Abs of Steel" DVD series. She has also taught a pooch boot camp. "I would take a group of six to 10 mostly women and their dogs, big or small, on a walk," she said. "Then we'd stop and do exercises, sometimes with rubber tubing, sometimes with the small dogs as resistance." At least 39 per cent of American households include at least one dog, according to the Humane Society. A 2011 study from Michigan State University found that people who owned and walked their dogs were 34 per cent more likely to meet the federal benchmarks on physical activity. "I think a pet gets you out to be active," said Webb. "Working dogs need at least 30 minutes of exercise and two hours of activity," she said. "Little dogs don't need that much." Webb has taken bigger breeds and their owners up and down stairs, on runs, and in pools. "In San Diego, you can take a dog surfing," she said. "And there's Doga (yoga for dogs)." Becker, who has four dogs, as well as some cats and horses, favours a back-to-basics approach to human-dog fitness. "The great thing about exercising with a pet is that you don't need a gym and you don't need expensive equipment," he said. "All you need is a good pair of shoes and a walking leash and you're out the door." For dogs, it's all about the cardio, he explained. "There are no bikini seasons for dogs, no trying to get into last season's Levis," he said. "And dogs do their own stretches." — Reuters |
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