Meskerem Assegued Bantiwalu

Day 1: Changing from the Inside: How should we Govern Ourselves?

Perspective
Meskerem Assegued Bantiwalu, Curator and General Director, Zoma Museum PLC, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Zoma Museum

One of the most unique aspects of humanity is its insatiable desire to outlive itself. The purpose of museums is to house, preserve, study, and document monumental objects or ideas by inventive minds and guarantee their longevity. Museums collect new art that reflects the moment to attract a new and young audience. The youth, who are worried about their future are trending away from categorizing and labeling humans. They are also concerned about climate change and social justice. They use their technological and social media savviness to share their opinions and creativity openly and freely. Museums will depend on them as stakeholders and decision makers who will bring new and alternative curatorial and collection approaches.

Zoma Museum is a private limited company whose goal is to be financially autonomous. It has ongoing exhibitions, workshops, and symposiums in the galleries as well as live performances at the outdoor amphitheater. It often collaborates with local and international art institutions and businesses. Its winding walkway through its eclectic indigenous garden is designed to accommodate wheelchairs, the elderly, and children. Recently, eBIRD named Zoma Museum one of the birdwatching hotspots for the various birds attracted by the local flora. The dairy cows, goats, sheep, chicken, rabbits, and tortoises in the compound are a major attractions to families with children. The presentation at CIMAM will focus on how museums can think creatively in response to current issues and how they can position themselves for the future.

BIOGRAPHY:

Meskerem Assegued is a curator, anthropologist, writer, and co-founder of Zoma Museum with Elias Sime. She curated Giziawi #1, an art happening; Divine Light by David Hammons in Addis Ababa; and Green Flame, the visual art exhibition of the New Crowned Hope Festival by Peter Sellars in Vienna. She co-curated Eye of the Needle Eye of the Heart at Santa Monica Museum of Art with Sellars; Curvature of Events at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden; Johannes Haile: With Different Eyes at Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Germany; and Vital Signs at Katzen Art Center, Washington DC. She recently co-designed and constructed the landscape and buildings at the Menilik’s Grand Palace and is currently constructing Zoma Village Entoto with Sime in Addis Ababa.

She has participated in various workshops and symposia, including those organized at MoMA and Tate Modern. She was awarded France’s Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and has been a member of the selection committees for Dak’Art and the Venice Biennale African Pavilion.