Lecture - Ethiopian Painted Tombstones - 10.12.14
Presented by The Anglo-Ethiopian Society. Ethiopian Painted Tombstones
Lecture by Cynthia Kemerer
Cynthia Kemerer will talk about the emergence of Ethiopian painted tombstone art in the Awash region, that began around 1969. From this time, tombstone art has demonstrated the correlation between historical processes and the evolution of art.
Elaborately painted tombstones first appeared at a time when socialist revolution was imminent in Ethiopia. The 1974 overthrow of Haile Selassie produced a thematic shift in tombstone art. Additionally, there was the influence of realistic imagery in art introduced by the Soviet involvement in Ethiopia. The more traditional Italian type motifs are replaced by images demonstrating human empowerment in the rural areas.
Tombstone art has continued to evolve and has become more decorative, and more related to the lives of people not necessarily connected to political involvement.
The Anglo-Ethiopian Society is affiliated to the University of London’s Centre of African Studies (CAS) and all of our events at SOAS are co-hosted with CAS.
