The recent rise of interest in Black art has been great for living artists—for some of them, anyway—but this has yet to reflect in a significantly deeper exploration of African art. Next year the Metropolitan Museum of Art will open its newly redesigned Michael C. Rockefeller wing, which houses its African art collection. More immediately, the Toledo Museum of Art has opened a show that demonstrates what a modern exhibition dedicated to Africa should look like. We caught up with Sophie Ong, coordinating curator of “Ethiopia at the Crossroads,” which runs through November 10, to hear more about how the show came together.
What’s the origin story of this exhibition? Why Ethiopia? Why now?
The exhibition “Ethiopia at the Crossroads” originated with my colleague, Dr. Christine Sciacca at the Walters Art Museum, which houses one of the largest collections of Ethiopian art in the United States. The idea to co-organize this exhibition with the Walters and eventually Peabody Essex Museum was driven by the Toledo Museum of Art’s commitment to presenting a more global perspective of art history across time. Ethiopia, with its unparalleled history as the only African nation never colonized and its role as a cultural bridge between Africa, Asia and Europe, offers a compelling narrative that resonates profoundly in today’s world. By highlighting Ethiopia’s significant impact on global art and culture, the exhibition illuminates the story of a nation that has long been at the crossroads of civilizations while maintaining its unique cultural identity.
The show features some of TMA’s recent acquisitions of Ethiopian artwork from the Middle Ages to today. What are the standouts from that group now in the museum’s collection?
Many of TMA’s recent acquisitions included in the exhibition amplify themes of history and cultural memory. For instance, a two-panel painting of King Lalibäla and Queen Mäsqäl Kǝbra, created nearly 300 years after the king’s death, reflects Lalibäla’s enduring legacy as the visionary patron of Ethiopia’s iconic rock-cut churches, underscoring the lasting influence of historical figures on Ethiopia’s cultural landscape. Contemporary works like Aïda Muluneh’s The 99 Series, inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Helina Metaferia’s sculpture Crown (Taytu), which pays tribute to Empress Taytu Betul and incorporates archival images from London’s Black Cultural Archives, demonstrate how today’s artists continue to engage with the past. Reflecting their experiences within the Ethiopian cultural diaspora, these artists weave narratives that transcend time, addressing themes of feminism, racial justice and the ongoing struggle for equality, liberation and belonging.
Many visitors to this exhibition probably have some familiarity with Christian art. How does the Ethiopian version differ from the kind made in other countries?
Each of the three Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—has a profound history in Ethiopia, where the country played a central role in the development and spread of these religions and the artistic traditions associated with them. TMA previously highlighted Ethiopian art within a section on global Christianity during the 2021 reinstallation of its medieval collection and Cloister Gallery, offering a more global perspective on the art of the Middle Ages. However, “Ethiopia at the Crossroads” allows us to delve deeper into the rich cultural expressions of all three religions: from early Christian manuscript illumination, which shares similarities with traditions in Armenia, Byzantium and Coptic Egypt, to the vibrant Islamic art from Harar, and the ceramics and basket weaving of Ethiopia’s Jewish community, known as Beta Israel.
Your show covers 1,750 years of artistic practice. What are some of the challenges of working with that kind of scope?
TMA’s presentation spans from antiquity to the world of Web3, a range that required a dynamic installation design to cohesively unite such diverse works. We were very fortunate to collaborate with the exceptional design team at Isometric Studio to achieve this goal. The challenge lies in bridging these vast temporal gaps, but it also offers an exciting opportunity to uncover common threads across time. For instance, TMA’s recently acquired 4th-3rd Century BCE alabaster funerary sculpture from South Arabia (present-day Yemen) features an inscription that preserves the memory of the man depicted. This ancient practice of memorialization finds a modern parallel in the work of the Ethiopian art collective Yatreda (TMA’s 2024 Digital Artist in Residence), who mint their digital art on the blockchain. Much like the stone inscriptions of the past, blockchain ensures the preservation of memory and recordkeeping, but through a futuristic canvas secured by a global network of computers. This technology bridges ancient and contemporary methods of preserving history, ensuring that Yatreda’s art—and the collective memory of Ethiopia it encapsulates—endures for generations, celebrated today and safeguarded into the future.
about 1400-1500 Ink and pigments on parchment with wooden boards Open: 8 7/8 × 6 11/16 × 3 15/16 in. (22.5 × 17 × 10 cm). Toledo Museum of Art, Mrs. George W. Stevens Fund, 2021.37
Why was it important to pair contemporary works with the older art and artifacts in this show?
The historical roots of Ethiopian art are not just relics of the past. Ethiopian art is a living tradition that continues to flourish, both within the country and among its global diaspora. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, for instance, remains a dynamic force in art, with modern painters, scribes and carvers upholding ancient practices. By pairing these historical pieces with contemporary works, such as those by Yatreda, Merikokeb Berehanu and Theo Eshtu, we highlight how today’s artists draw deeply from their heritage to address current issues of identity, migration and modernization. This exhibition shows how Ethiopian artists bridge the past and present, demonstrating the enduring influence and relevance of Ethiopia’s cultural legacy. Through this dialogue between the old and the new, we invite visitors to see Ethiopian art as a continuous, dynamic tradition that evolves with time and remains vibrant and relevant today.
The show features the cloak of Haile Selassie I, who is presented as something of a transitional figure. What does he represent for the history of Ethiopia? What does he represent in your show?
The exhibition highlights two remarkable works related to Emperor Haile Selassie I, who ruled Ethiopia from 1930 until the 3,000-year monarchy’s fall in 1974. Selassie emphasized his lineage from the Solomonic dynasty, claiming descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba while positioning Ethiopia on the global stage during a time of modern diplomacy. Committed to modernization, he forged international partnerships and traveled widely to advance education, infrastructure and industry in Ethiopia. Revered as a divine figure by the Rastafari movement, which takes its name from his title (Ras) and given name (Tafari), Selassie is seen as the messiah who would lead Africans to liberation. The emperor’s cloak, now part of the Walters Art Museum’s collection, can be viewed as a relic of this ruler-cum-deity. In Toledo, we have added a commanding bronze portrait of Selassie by the renowned British sculptor Jacob Epstein. Commissioned to raise funds and awareness for Ethiopia’s resistance against Italian invasion, this sculpture was created shortly after the emperor’s famous speech to the League of Nations during his exile in England. The sculpture is a powerful testament to the role art can play in history and global politics.
What do you hope your show gives to the people of Toledo? What ideas do you hope they leave with?
I hope this exhibition transports our audiences on a journey through the rich tapestry of Ethiopian history and culture, revealing connections between past and present that might otherwise be overlooked. By showcasing Ethiopia’s incredible artistic legacy—from ancient sculpture and medieval religious icons to cutting-edge contemporary works—we aim to challenge perceptions and broaden horizons, reminding visitors that history is not just a series of distant events but a living, breathing force that shapes our world today. We want our audience to leave with a deeper appreciation of Ethiopia’s pivotal role in global history and a renewed sense of curiosity about the diverse cultures that contribute to our shared human story. Ultimately, we hope this exhibition inspires a greater understanding of how interconnected our world has always been, and how these connections continue to influence our lives in profound ways.
