The Return of the Axum Obelisk
This non-linear video narrative poetically documents the journey of an ancient obelisk from Rome to Axum. During Mussolini’s occupation of Ethiopia in 1935, this 160-ton monolith was erected in front of the then Ministry for the Colonies as a symbol of conquering power. Eshetu’s video captures the historic dismantling of the obelisk in Rome in 2002 and its subsequent resurrection in Axum in 2005. He juxtaposes those events with the biblical narrative of the Queen of Sheba as recounted in the fourteenth century Kəbrä Nägäśt (Glory of Kings). Integrating illustrations from this Ethiopian national epic, Eshetu’s footage highlights the shifting significance of the obelisk from a ancient wonder to a emblem of past of colonial conflict.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Return of the Axum Obelisk
- Artist: Theo Eshetu (b. 1958, London)
- Date: 2009/2023
- Geography: Ethiopia; Italy
- Culture: British-Ethiopian
- Medium: Single-channel digital video, color, sound, 21 min., 43 sec.
- Dimensions: Dimensions variable
- Classification: Variable Media
- Credit Line: Purchase, Funds from various donors, 2024
- Object Number: 2024.395
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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Returned to lender
Theo Eshetu
2009
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