Born in Eritrea and now based in New York, visual artist Dawit L. Petros creates photographic images and installations that engage the possibilities of reconsidering the relationship between African histories and European modernism. Research and his travels influence how he conceptualizes his works. In his bio he explains that, “By drawing upon forms rooted in diverse histories, [his] artistic language enables a metaphorically rich articulation of the fluidity of contemporary transnational experiences and attendant issues of place-making, and cultural negotiation.”
The Eritrean-Ethiopian border conflict resulted in his family having to move around a number of times. His experiences as an immigrant is molded into his practice. His explorations during his travels and the works which come from this are an attempt to capture each cities’ sense of place, while also being informed by experiences of being an outsider.
In his project titled The Stranger’s Notebook (Prologue) he traces borders in his journey across countries on the African continent and into Europe. This year-long trip was captured through photography, sound and moving images. The original title for the project Le Carnet de l’Étranger comes from the 1942 book by French writer Albert Camus. Although this did not end up being the title for the project, it still references themes related to experiences of “outsiderness” that Camus deals with in his book. Petros also indirectly references German sociologist Georg Simmel’s conceptualization of ‘the stranger’ in society – referring to the paradox of how the stranger is physically close but psychologically distant. This project also highlights the complexity of migration within the African continent, and the relationship between self and place.
His works have been recognized with awards including an Independent Study Fellowship at the Whitney Museum of American Art, an Art Matters Fellowship, and Addis Ababa Photo Fest. His works are in institutional collections including The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Royal Ontario Museum of Art, The Center For Photography at Woodstock, and numerous private collections. Petros is represented by Tiwani Contemporary in London, UK.
