by Julia Williams | photography by Jared Sych
ArtistPortfolio
INSPIRED BY LOVE Ethiopian-born artist Sisay Shimeles makes Calgary a more welcoming place.
WHEN SISAY SHIMELES was growing up in Ethiopia, his older sister was the artist in the family. Later, she followed in their father’s footsteps and studied medicine — it was Sisay who continued to draw and paint. It wasn’t the only surprise life had in store. Shimeles was a 24-year-old art student at Addis Ababa University when he was selected to create art for the Ethiopia Pavilion at Expo 2000. When he arrived in Hanover, Germany, the event organizers had questions: They wanted to know how his artwork would address Ethiopia’s troubled history. Shimeles was stunned. All his life, his government had taught him that Ethiopia was rich, green and peaceful. That week he learned about the Eritrean-Ethiopian War from German television. “It was shocking,” Shimeles says. For months, he could barely eat or sleep. He changed his work to reflect Ethiopia’s complex reality. The Ethiopian government disapproved, and Shimeles applied for political asylum in Germany and began a new life in Nuremburg. A decade later he fell in love with a woman he’d grown up with. She had become a Calgarian, so he did too. Today, Shimeles is a graphic designer and visual
artist. He and his wife are raising their two children in northeast Calgary, but his work lives all over the city. In 2015, Shimeles created a mural celebrating the city’s east African community; the piece is on permanent display on International Avenue. For the City of Calgary’s Painted City initiative, Shimeles painted utility boxes in Forest Lawn and Dover and community disposal bins in Canyon Meadows. He’s currently working on lamppost banners for Beddington Heights. Shimeles, a finalist for the 2016 Immigrants of Distinction Awards, is the editor and designer of Abronet/Ubuntu magazine, a free bilingual publication (in English and Amharic) aimed at newcomers. The magazine is on hiatus while Shimeles sources funding to cover costs, but he is determined to publish again. Shimeles says his earliest memories are of drawing pictures to surprise his father. Now he has the joy of watching his five-year-old daughter absorbed in painting. He says he’s inspired by love. “When you respect people you get respect back. When you love people you get love back.” Learn more about Shimeles at afrocanart.com L
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