The exhibition Eyes of Respect was based on my conversations in Addis Ababa with film director and actor Birhanu Shiberu.  In 2010, when he took the role of Fish in the tv drama Gemena, over  12,000 people came up to him to offer congratulations:  he recorded the name of each person. 

Among my pieces at this collaborative show were Four Seasons and My Country.  Every name he recorded can be found in these works.

I chose these media for my work because of the similarity in purpose. The "kitab" (Ethiopian scroll) is used traditionally for words:  prayers are inscribed on a small scroll, then rolled and worn.  Chinese scrolls are often used for calligraphic works.