This Photopaint Fusion is a reflection of everything we’ve been through - Tigray’s pain, the weight of war, the silence, the way we carry our suffering like it’s just part of life now. The faceless figure, swallowed by fire, isn’t just a symbol; it’s us. Holding our own pain, watching it burn, knowing the world won’t step in to stop it.
But what hurts even more is how we’ve turned this pain into a joke - how even we, Tigrayans, laugh at our own suffering like it’s nothing. Joking about our mothers, our struggles, our losses. Maybe it’s a way to cope, but it’s also a way of giving up. And that’s dangerous.
Words matter. Every word is fire. It can burn everything we have left or light the way forward. If we keep turning our grief into sarcasm, if we joke about the things that should never be laughed at, we are feeding the very fire that’s destroying us.
We can’t let this become normal. We can’t let the next generation grow up thinking that pain is just a punchline. They’re watching us. They’re learning from us. And if all we give them is bitterness and despair, we’re handing them nothing but ashes.
This isn’t just art. It’s a warning. We have to stop playing with fire before there’s nothing left to save. ብ ቃ ን ዛ ኪ ል ግ ፂ
50 × 0 = 0 More than 50 years
Fifty years. A legacy that should have meant something. A history that was supposed to build, protect, and uplift its people. And yet, here we are. Half of our people displaced, our children growing up in IDP camps, our land scarred by war, our hopes reduced to numbers on reports no one cares to read.
And still, they celebrated. They lit the night in honor of themselves. But the universe spoke louder the number 5 disappeared into darkness. Not by design, not by accident, but by truth. The truth that when a struggle loses its purpose, when a fight turns into a game of power, when the people are abandoned - everything is multiplied by zero.
Hope, multiplied by zero.
Sacrifice, multiplied by zero.
The lives lost, the dreams crushed, the promises made - all multiplied by zero.
This is what they have given us: nothing.
For fifty years, we were told there was a reason for the suffering. That one day, it would all be worth it. But tell me, when do the people get to collect on that promise? When do the displaced return home? When do the children in IDP camps get to dream of more than just survival? When does the blood spilled stop being treated as a price worth paying?
We whisper the names of the lost into the wind, hoping someone, somewhere, still listens.
If this is what fifty years have brought us, what will tomorrow bring? Do we keep pretending? Do we keep living in a land that no longer holds a future? Or do we finally understand that no one is coming to save us - not them, not the world, not even those who swore they fought for us?
The truth is unbearable, but we must bear it. Because if we don’t, our children will inherit this same darkness. And one day, they too will ask:
“Was our future multiplied by zero before we even had a chance to live?” ድ ን ቁ ር ና
When art imitates life… This curious chick seems to recognize itself in my sketchbook! A perfect moment of creativity and nature coming together. #urbansketchersmekelle #urbansketching #UrbanSketchers #sketchingchicken
Art is more than just technique—it’s a way of seeing, understanding, and expressing the world. 🌍✍🏽
At Esseni Realistic Art Academy, we guide our students through the fundamentals of drawing, art history, and international artistic knowledge. From mastering observation to understanding the works of great artists, we help them build a strong foundation so they can develop their own artistic voice.
These moments of deep focus and creativity remind us why we do what we do. The journey of art begins with learning, but it flourishes with expression. 🎨✨
Join us at @esseniartgallery and Esseni Realistic Art Academy—where passion meets discipline, and creativity finds its voice.
#essenirealisticartacademy #esseniartgallery #arteducation #learntosew #drawingskill #creativejourney #mekelleart #tigrayartist #artcommunity
Get to know Esseni Art Gallery- here is an insightful interview with owner @solomon_gebru speaking about the art community in Mekelle and creation of Esseni
#esseniartgallery #artgallery #africanart #tigray #mekelle
