HABESHA 1991: THE CATALOGUE
AN EXHIBITION ON ERITREAN IDENTITY
Habesha 1991 explores the relationship between identity, memory and place in Eritrea, a country too often defined by conflict, isolation and politics. While not documenting these narratives directly, Antonio Avelar focuses on what endures beneath them: the rituals, architecture, labour, faith and everyday traditions through which identity is sustained.
Named after the year Eritrea achieved de facto independence, the exhibition argues that Habesha is a term of constricted identity that is often misfit, and that 1991 did not create a new idea of belonging, but affirmed one that had existed for centuries, shaped by diverse communities, cultural exchange and a shared sense of time.
Through photographs of religious life, architecture, craftsmanship and daily routines, Habesha 1991 presents Eritrea as a living archive, revealing how culture continues to preserve itself, possibly thanks to many decades of isolation, as much as it extends well beyond borders and nomenclature.
This digital catalogue presents the complete collection of museum-quality fine art prints exhibited in Habesha 1991, serving as a permanent record of the works displayed and their accompanying information.
