Black, White and Memories

by Geremew Tigabu

I have been photographing for over twelve years. What began as a quiet interest in art quickly turned into a passion, and eventually, my profession. Photography has given me absolute joy

throughout this journey. Even as my work has transitioned into documentary photography, street photography remains my first love and a practice I continue to this day. There has always

been a thrill to it because you have to dare to photograph the streets of Addis Ababa. I just kept shooting, day after day, never knowing what this body of work would eventually become.

I have had the privilege of photographing Addis throughout these years, but I have never felt entirely satisfied. This exhibition is my attempt to show a glimpse of the city as I knew it.

Today, Addis Ababa feels like it is undergoing a total metamorphosis. The change has been so vast and rapid that it took me by surprise, leaving me to question if I had ever captured even a

fraction of what was there. The places I spent time in as a child, the streets I walked daily, the textures of everyday life- so much of it now lives primarily in the mind.

I have always seen and shot in black and white. It is my native visual language, allowing me to focus on raw light, shadow, and human gesture. In Black, White, and Memory is drawn from

those years of daily walks. What began as an unhurried, personal routine has become an accidental visual archive, a quiet space to honor the places, the people, and above all, the memories.