This work was inspired by the concept of wisdom as a living force carried by people rather than preserved in written records. Within the Wisdom Keepers series, Ethiopia represents cultures where knowledge is transmitted through oral traditions, rituals, and embodied experience. I am inspired by elders, healers, and cultural carriers who serve as bridges between generations, protecting memory, identity, and continuity.
Through Wisdom Keepers, I seek to honor these unseen archives of humanity. The series does not aim to document a specific place or figure, but to evoke the presence of cultural carriers whose existence sustains identity, resilience, and collective consciousness.
Through Wisdom Keepers, I seek to honor these unseen archives of humanity. The series does not aim to document a specific place or figure, but to evoke the presence of cultural carriers whose existence sustains identity, resilience, and collective consciousness.
I chose acrylic on canvas with oil pastels to create layered surfaces that echo the accumulation of memory and experience. Acrylic allows for structural grounding, while oil pastels introduce intimacy, softness, and gesture—mirroring the balance between permanence and fragility found in cultural transmission.
