Drawing from a holistic view of the world, Theo Eshetu explores the commonalities and harmonies between religions and examines how opposites can unite to create a whole. This philosophical motivation
is reflected in his filmic language, which is grounded in compelling aesthetic components that merge documentary approaches with abstract patterns, repetitive forms, and mirroring. One of Eshetu’s videos in the exhibition was filmed on the island of Lamu, off the coast of Kenya, while the other was filmed at Lake Turkana in the northwest of the country. The Festival of Sacrifice (2012) focuses on one of the most crucial rituals of Islam during the celebration of Eid-al-Adha, also known as the feast of sacrifice. Through the kaleidoscopic patterns, multiplications, and mirroring, the act of sacrificing a goat is transformed into a visual landscape of ornament-like images that highlights the spirituality of this cultural practice and refers to the aesthetic of Islamic art. The ambient music, combining electronic sounds with Islamic motifs, amplifies the sense of interconnectivity between contrasting visual and sonic heritages. In his newly commissioned work Dead Boys in Paradise (2024), the artist deals with the normality of death and survival, this time by focusing on fishing practices. The cycles of life and death are questioned on the basis of humanity’s relation to animals, and between what is visible and invisible.

Dead Boys in Paradise (2024) is commissioned by Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), co-produced by Theo Eshetu and HKW, 2024

Work in the exhibition: Dead Boys in Paradise (2024), 1-channel-video, 33'. Sound design by Keir Fraser; The Festival of Sacrifice (2012), 12-channel-video, 18'. Sound design by Keir Fraser. Courtesy of the artist