Professor Elisabeth Researcher of Ethiopian Modern Art
If there were an Ethiopian research and development ship, its captain would be Professor Elisabeth Wolde Giorgis.
Professor Elizabeth has made a name for herself in contemporary art and art criticism in Ethiopia. Many, including her friends and acquaintances, call Professor Elizabeth 'you', so let's continue with that. She challenged the traditional Ethiopian historiography, which she calls "based on a patriarchal, patriarchal, and hierarchical power relation" and which many accept without question or scrutiny.
Since Professor Elizabeth came to the academy, Ethiopian studies and research, especially historiography, have been transformed. She has strived to include communities that have been hidden from history and historiography, a discipline that has focused on gender and politics. Her efforts have borne fruit.
Prof. Elisabeth served as the Director of Ethiopian Studies and Research at Addis Ababa University from 1996 to 2002. She also served as Dean of the University's College of Arts for three years. She co-founded the first Gebre Kristos Desta Museum of Contemporary Art in Ethiopia and was its director.
At this center, she has brought to the public the internationally recognized works of Ethiopian-born Julie Mehret and Danish Olafur Eliasson. In 2010, she joined the Africa Institute at the University of International Studies in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, as an Ali Mazuri Fellow. She has since been instrumental in establishing the institution's postgraduate and doctoral programs. She served as the chair of the institute's Department of Anthropology and as a professor of art history, theory, and criticism.
She was also an adjunct professor at Brown University and the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, and a fellow at the Rockefeller Bellagio Center in Italy.Prof. Elizabeth, along with two other colleagues, published a book titled 'Ethiopia: Modern Nation–Ancient Roots' a few months ago. She also recently published a book titled 'The Darkness' by artist Henok Muqalazer. In 2005, she edited a book titled "What is 'Zemenawinet'? Perspective on Ethiopian Modernity." The book examines Ethiopian modernity through the lens of history, literature, architecture, and art. This Ethiopian scholar and researcher, a symbol of Ethiopian contemporary art criticism, passed away last weekend, March 7, 2017.
.jpg)
