Genet Alemu – a devoted artist

Author: Tibebeselassie Tigabu - Feburary 18, 2017

Genet is a painter, a collage artist and a printmaker, who creates her own paper from natural fibers including teff. She graduated from Addis Ababa University Ale School of Fine Arts and Design in 1998.

Being the only woman in her graduating class, Genet said that the university was a misogynistic space and unfavorable to women. “When I do assignments more than their expectations, they assume a male artist did my assignment. I remember one of the instructors openly asking me this,” Genet said. “This instructor used to say women came to fill the quota. Why are you taking the space of men?”

Genet, who was struggling with breast cancer for a couple of years, accepted her terminal case with humor. When The Reporter went to visit her she was breathing with the help of oxygen can and was solemnly listening to Gebreyohannes Gebretsadik’s orthodox Christian gospel song.

The ailing Genet talked about how talking about her illness caused grief and anguish in her family but not on her. Not loosing her sense of humor while being in pain also created amusement among her friends and loved ones.

Born in 1974 in Addis Ababa Arada Giorgis area, Genet attended her primary school in New Era Public School and her high school in Yekatit 12. Her artworks are experimental and process based, as she likes to explore the characteristics of her materials, which she adapts skillfully to her subject matters.

Genet’s works are about her reflections on life, womanhood, survival, and time. Genet has participated in several exhibitions locally as well as internationally. One of her exhibitions was a public performance in Wax and Gold in 2012 about disguise. Attired in a unique outfit, which might represent different religions, she asked people how they presented themselves. She repeatedly said to them, “How many live a lie by creating fake identities?”

The other exhibition was at Lela Gallery “Looking Inside Out”. Her artist statement read: “Even though it is not much exploited in Ethiopia, ‘printmaking’ interests me because it is one of the tools that allows me to express my ideas in different ways. Since printing itself involves the process of change from one to the other in search of something new, it helps me describe transformation in ideas.”

Though she was suffering from cancer since 2012, Genet took her art as a healing process. She kept persisting in doing her artwork until her final days. Her final exhibition at Asni Gallery entitled “Intimate Red” was also a depiction of her endeavors for living and her struggle. Through her art works, she showed her strength and vulnerably through challenging times by capturing difficult moments such as Chemotherapy.

“Red is about me being alive. Red is about me being a woman. Red is about the sacrifices you make.”

Genet, who was laid to rest at the Petros Wo Paulos Church, will be remembered by artists, the art community and people who knew her as humble, passionate, kind, persistent, a devoted mother, and a creative person. Genet is survived by her six-year-old son.

Originally published:https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/2595/