Tariku Shiferaw
Adey Abeba 2, 2025
acrylic on canvas
60 x 60 in (152.4 x 152.4 cm)
Copyright The Artist
The ongoing series 'Mata Semay' meaning “night sky” was publicly presented in 2022/2023 after nearly four years of development. It creates abstract maps imagining how the night sky might appear...
The ongoing series "Mata Semay" meaning “night sky” was publicly presented in 2022/2023 after nearly four years of development. It creates abstract maps imagining how the night sky might appear if diasporic cultural contributions were recognized in the global consciousness. From this series, "Adey Abeba 2" depicts the flower it’s named after—a symbol in Ethiopia of a new year and the end of the rainy season—symbolizing the bright sky of a new day. In addition to renewal, the yellow flower also symbolizes hope, peace, and blessing. Throughout his painting and installation work, Shiferaw merges mid-century abstraction with critical insights from popular culture, questioning perception, space, and societal structures.
Tariku Shiferaw in discussion of his works inspired by the night sky, with The Brooklyn Rail:
“[Many artworks] came out of my thought-process surrounding the night sky—how it’s simultaneously an imagined and physical space. It’s something real, yet unattainable. So, we have to imagine it. I was also considering how dark the Western-lead social and political spaces can appear for some of us.
That’s why it’s important that we are aware of the type of “imaginations” we uphold through popular media such as television and books. Often, Eurocentric mythologies such as the Greeks’ and Romans’ dictate the values of our society today, intrinsically giving more regard to a particular group of people over others.
[..] in referring to an imagined space, I’m thinking about a place we create as a result of what we see. In this case, the night sky. For instance, mythology originates out of things that are real and expands into non-factual imaginations. For ages, humanity has engaged the night sky in a similar way. Now, the content of the “imaginations” that are cast into the night sky depends on the group of people, their global location, and their set of beliefs. For example, some imagine a ram’s head, a shepherd, or their ancestors in the constellations. Certainly, everyone sees themselves and thinks of themselves in the creations of such imaginations. As a result, dominant cultures enforce their imaginations above others.
These mythologies inform our perspectives of the world around us—defining the standards of life for everyone who exists under similar governing systems. As a Black person living in Western-dominated culture, I think about the imagined space as an invisible zone that guides our physical reality—defining what’s acceptable and what’s not.
Similarly, other “imagined” spaces help us to escape set-boundaries. We delve into our Blues, our Afrobeats, and into our science-fiction to create an alternative reality we hope can influence the masses for more favorable conditions. We hope that our imagined ideas become universally accepted, like the “myths” Roland Barthes defines.”
Tariku Shiferaw in discussion of his works inspired by the night sky, with The Brooklyn Rail:
“[Many artworks] came out of my thought-process surrounding the night sky—how it’s simultaneously an imagined and physical space. It’s something real, yet unattainable. So, we have to imagine it. I was also considering how dark the Western-lead social and political spaces can appear for some of us.
That’s why it’s important that we are aware of the type of “imaginations” we uphold through popular media such as television and books. Often, Eurocentric mythologies such as the Greeks’ and Romans’ dictate the values of our society today, intrinsically giving more regard to a particular group of people over others.
[..] in referring to an imagined space, I’m thinking about a place we create as a result of what we see. In this case, the night sky. For instance, mythology originates out of things that are real and expands into non-factual imaginations. For ages, humanity has engaged the night sky in a similar way. Now, the content of the “imaginations” that are cast into the night sky depends on the group of people, their global location, and their set of beliefs. For example, some imagine a ram’s head, a shepherd, or their ancestors in the constellations. Certainly, everyone sees themselves and thinks of themselves in the creations of such imaginations. As a result, dominant cultures enforce their imaginations above others.
These mythologies inform our perspectives of the world around us—defining the standards of life for everyone who exists under similar governing systems. As a Black person living in Western-dominated culture, I think about the imagined space as an invisible zone that guides our physical reality—defining what’s acceptable and what’s not.
Similarly, other “imagined” spaces help us to escape set-boundaries. We delve into our Blues, our Afrobeats, and into our science-fiction to create an alternative reality we hope can influence the masses for more favorable conditions. We hope that our imagined ideas become universally accepted, like the “myths” Roland Barthes defines.”
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