Inspired by an unaccomplished personal project, in this animation, I’m exploring ideas of intention, extension, and failed romanticism. I used images and texts from mass-produced postcards, packaging, calendar booklets, books, posters, and pamphlets that were created and used as political propaganda devices for the invasion of Ethiopia by Fascist Italy during WWII. Some of these prints were on the front covers of school notebooks, some were games that taught the geography, history, and natural resources of Ethiopia. In some games, the winner was the first to capture the capital city, Addis Ababa.
Una Favola Vera (A True Fairytale)
Ezra Wube
2020 00:08:07 United StatesEnglishColorStereo4:3HD videoDescription
About Ezra Wube
Ezra Wube (b. 1980, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) is a cross disciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Through autobiography, his work references the notion of past and present, the constant changing of place, and the dialogical tension between "here" and "there". Wube’s exhibitions include the Dak’Art 2014 Biennale, Dakar, Senegal (2014); 5TH Marrakech Biennale, Marrakech, Morocco (2014); The 18th International Festival of Contemporary Art SESC_Videobrasil, São Paulo, Brazil (2014); and At the same moment, a Times Square Midnight Moment program, New York, NY (2013).
Wube’s awards and residencies include Artist in the marketplace, Bronx Museum of the Arts (2014); Swing Space, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York, NY (2013); The Substation, Johannesburg, South Africa (2011); Contemporary Artists Center Woodside, Troy, NY (2011); and Château de la Napoule, France (2011). Wube received his BFA (2004) from Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA) and an MFA (2009) from Hunter College, New York, NY.