Tariku Shiferaw
Dahomey, 2025
acrylic on canvas
60 x 60 in (152.4 x 152.4 cm)
Copyright The Artist
“[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...
“[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.
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.
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