Ethiopian Treasures
Exhibition following an ongoing workshop as part of the International Photography Festival
Years: 2023-2024
Location: Israel
Exhibition: The 11th International Photography Festival, Tel Aviv 2024
Project Leader: Eytan Shouker
Partners: PHOTO IS:RAEL
Olim Together (Olim Beyahad) NGO
Curator: Eytan Shouker
Participants: Gideon Eich, Eden Itzek, Gadi Elmo, Malka Goshen, Shirit Daniel Brook, Geula Hadrai, Baruch Zaro, Tadella Tekla, Avi Yitzhak, Agra Mengistu, Yasu Mantesnot and Yaobspar Matiko Malko.
The works in the exhibition were created by a dozen Israelis of Ethiopian origin who made the Aliyah journey from Ethiopia to Israel. The exhibitors participated in a workshop during which they were invited to process and express their stories and personal memories, representing together a shared history of the almost mystical yearning for Jerusalem, the belief in God and the strong desire to immigrate to the Holy Land alongside their sudden uprooting or that of their relatives, separation from the nuclear family, and in many cases a difficult and traumatic journey. The workshop participants were asked to express their personal perspective regarding the narrative and memory they carry, and were exposed to diverse representation options, including writing, video, and photography. The result is a collection of images and texts that recount personal memory on the one hand, and on the other hand, serve as testimony to a chapter in the history of the Jewish people. Bringing archival photographs, letters, testimonies, videos, and staged photographs reveals an encounter that involves past and future, separation and redemption, and Ethiopian heritage in Israeli society.
