Ethiopian American Tsedaye Makonnen has won the Landmark Providence, a major public art commission in Providence, Rhode Island, that will be revealed in 2022.
For this site-specific project, the work is inspired by the history of displacement behind the original construction of I-195 in Providence, Rhode Island. Around “300 families, 172 homes, and 32 businesses” were displaced during the construction. The culminating work is intended to be a beacon for all communities and marginalised groups to reclaim this space as a community gathering point.
Tsedaye Makonnen was one of five finalists for Landmark Providence. After months of community engagement, research, and design, Tsedaye will bring her Light Sculptures to Rhode Island. The light sculptures are designed using mirror polished stainless steel and various diffuse lighting elements. The polished stainless steel creates a mirror effect. This reflects the people of Providence in the world as well as the surrounding communities. It also allows us to reflect on and illuminate who is missing or invisible. The stories of those past and present provide energy for the sculptures and the reflection of our stories to visitors. Tsedaye Makonnen is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, researcher and cultural producer, whose studio, practice threads together her identity as a Black mother, birth worker and a daughter of Ethiopian immigrants. Makonnen primarily focuses on migration and
intersectional feminism; using light, shadow, reflection, fractals, embodiment, movement and collaboration as materials. Her intention is to create a spiritual network around the globe that aims to re-calibrate the energy towards something positive and life affirming. Makonnen is the recipient of a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship. Her light sculptures have been exhibited at the National Gallery of Art, and UNTITLED Art Fair. Makonnen is represented by Addis Fine Art and currently lives in DC with her 10 year old son.
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