SOMERSET HOUSE: WATER LIFE BY AIDA MULUNEH

SOMERSET HOUSE: WATER LIFE BY AIDA MULUNEH 

24 SEPTEMBER – 20 OCTOBER 2019

Engaging in issues of water scarcity and ecological emergency, Aida Muluneh presented her collection titled Water Life, commissioned by WaterAid. Exploring ideas of representation, gender and social justice through Afro futurist tableaux of twelve, large-scale images shot in Ethiopia, this work contributes to Somerset House’s ongoing strand of environmental-themed programming.

NOWNESS

To celebrate the exhibition at Somerset House as part of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, culture video platform Nowness collaborated with WaterAid to create a special episode of their Photographers in Focus series. Supported by the H&M Foundation and directed by London-based filmmaker Adeyemi Michael, the film captures the behind the scenes process in Aida’s  studio in Addis Ababa and in the Danakil Depression, where I shot the Water Life series. 

According to Michael, “Women who know their power are magical. Aïda is certainly one of those, and her images are iconic. When I was asked to make a film about her process representing the plight of women without access to water, there was an instant synergy with themes in my work, which speaks to the empowerment of African women.”