Turned Back: Filaments of Renewal presents works from the series, Turned Back (2015–), by Belleville-based artist, Emebet Belete. Celebrating the life of her mother and the intergeneration of Ethiopian women whose stories are woven throughout the fabric of time, this series of acrylics on canvas with installed audio and textiles contemplate a private world beyond the objectifying gaze. Inspired by her participation in the Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year’s) celebration at Christie Pits Park in Toronto, this series represents a portrayal of community belonging. Embodying the present while facing forward, individuals and collectives move toward a future lived and imagined. Vacillating between participant and observer, Belete’s works also transpose relationships between inclusion and exclusion while mediating private life or public-facing expectations.

Emebet Belete is an artist and educator who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A graduate of the Addis Ababa Fine Arts School, and Queen’s University, Kingston, her artistic practice reflects her cross-cultural observations living in Ethiopia, Canada and Asia. Her work ranges from oil and acrylic to collage and mixed media, and can be seen at www.emebet.ca. Her work has been acquired by the National Museum of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian National Institute of Culture, TEDA Archives (Tianjin, China) and private collections around the world. Emebet is a grant recipient of the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) and the City of Belleville, for art creation as well as projects that involve teaching and encouraging students in schools and the community.

Hero image: Emebet Belete, Enkutatash #12 (detail), 2015, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.
We are proud to announce that J.J.M. Investment Group CIBC Wood Gundy is the sponsor for Agnes’s exhibitions and related programs this season.