Recently, we had featured a story about Home [Away from] Home, an experimental art installation and festival celebrating community and art, created by the Eritrean and Ethiopian diaspora community in Oakland. Following this festival, this art community held an exhibit – a rich collection of artwork evocative of their overarching theme – exploring the nature of “home” reflective of the various artist’s sentiment.
Here are works of two artists selected from a broad range that were exhibited:
Zéna is a visual artist, folkloric musician, and composer residing in Oakland, CA.
As a student of “Jaliyaa”, the West African oral and musical tradition, and a specialization in kora, the West African harp, it is a natural progression for her to apply in her own art the same themes of ritual and tradition found in West African music. Using the mediums of painting, sculpture, storytelling, music, and installation in her creative practice, she explores universal themes of matriarchy, cultural knowledge and preservation that are cross-cultural in their significance.
André Jones aka Natty Rebel is a visual artist, father, and modern day renaissance man residing in Oakland, CA.
Using his spiritual gift of visual arts, André redefines urban communities with his emotionally captivating works. These works can be found on clothing items, canvases, walls and buildings, worldwide.
His meticulous brushstroke work is deeply sublime.
