Ezra Wube
Una Favola Vera
(A True Fairytale)

Inspired by an unaccomplished personal project, in this animation, I’m exploring ideas of intention, extension, and failed romanticism. I used images and texts from mass-produced postcards, packaging, calendar booklets, books, posters, and pamphlets that were created and used as political propaganda devices for the invasion of Ethiopia by Fascist Italy during WWII. Some of these prints were on the front covers of school notebooks, some were games that taught the geography, history, and natural resources of Ethiopia. In some games, the winner was the first to capture the capital city, Addis Ababa.

About Ezra Wube:

Ezra Wube (born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) is a cross-disciplinary artist who lives and works in New York. His works encompass video, drawing, painting, and installations. His work explores experiences of mobility, the malleability of time and place, and the dialogical tensions between "here" and "there", a confluence of prior and current influences on social idealism, pluralism, and autonomy. His exhibitions include the 21st Contemporary Art Biennial. Sesc_Videobrasil, Brazil; The 2nd edition of the Biennale d’Architecture d’Orléans, France; “Gwangju Biennale”, Gwangju, South Korea; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, Art in General, Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga, Latvia; The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY; “Dak’Art Biennale”, Dakar, Senegal, The High Line, and Time Square Arts Midnight Moment, NY. His residencies, commissions, and awards include Michael Richards Visual Arts Award, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, NY, NY, Smack Mellon Studio Program, Brooklyn, NY; Pioneer Works, Brooklyn, NY; Work Space, LMCC Residency Program, New York, NY; Open Sessions Program, The Drawing Center, New York, NY; The Africa Center, NY; The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NY; Museum of the Moving Images, Queens, NY; Rema Hort Mann Foundation; the Triangle Arts Association Residency, Brooklyn, NY and The Substation Artist Residency Program, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Since 2015, Ezra has organized the Addis Video Art Festival in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.