Anthony Gebrehiwot
Gebrehiwot portrays his subjects as divine and other wordly to contribute to the dialogue surrounding black identity.
Anthony Gebrehiwot's multimedia afrofuturist designs are a direct response to the current climate of racial tension in North America. Out of deep frustration and disappointment of seeing black bodies being treated as less than human, he portrays his subjects as divine and other wordly to contribute to the dialogue surrounding black identity.
AGO: What was the inspiration for this artwork or series?
Gebrehiwot: This series of work was made this year during this global pandemic and uprising against police brutality. The work is inspired by the flaws of systemic racism, by the senseless murders of black bodies, and the response from other communities to these injustices. I had to ask myself how I can play my part and use my creativity to uplift my community.
AGO:Tell us about a place or space where you most love making your work?
Gebrehiwot: The only place I feel comfortable making this kind of work is at home. It's where I feel the most comfortable to not judge my creative process, to make mistakes and put it all together.
AGO: Are you in dialogue with any other artists or creative peers about your practice? If so, how does this dialogue feed your work?
Gebrehiwot: Constantly. It can come up through random conversation or it can be intentional. It normally starts with conversation around current events and then leads to how we respond to these current events. I think hearing other peoples' opinions on what's happening in the world implicity informs and/or inspires how I approach my work. It could be a comment or it can be the energy behind the words. It all happens at a really subtle level.
Anthony Gebrehiwot is a passionate artist, photographer and community leader whose creative lens re-visions photography as an ongoing dialogue of social change between subject and society.
Follow Anthony @tonyxtones