Portfolio: Hyphanted Identity in Contemporary Ethiopian Art in Israel
Like the essays in this issue, the portfolio also addresses the question of hyphenated identity – and in particular the identity of Ethiopian-Israelis – through the works of Antanesh Yalau, Tigist Yoseph-Ron, Michal Warka, and Moshe Tarka. In the context of the Ethiopian-Israeli experience, the discussion of hyphenated identity usually addresses the social categories of Israeliness and Ethiopianness. Through the portfolio, this discussion is extended to the category of blackness, which is also present in certain ways. This category is presented in an attempt to understand its relevance for the artists, and to explore the relationship between Ethiopianess and blackness, and whether they are overlapping categories. The works move between the various categories, expanding on the sociological discussion, and addressing the immigration crisis, the failed attempt at integrating, the place of traditional Ethiopian art in contemporary art, and the place of the Ethiopian artist. Black as a color in general or as skin color in particular, plays a very subtle role in these works, reflecting tensions between the first and second generations in the local Ethiopian community.
