ገደናና

EXHBITION STATEMENT

Gedenana is the result of sustained research and collaborative studio practice between a collective of Eritrean artists based in Asmera, Eritrea and second-generation Eritrean artists in the diaspora, led by Eritrean-American artist-researcher Tehan Ketema. The title derives from gedena — a plot of fertile land at the edge of a village, divided among its residents for growing crops like corn (ዑፉን) and green sorghum (ሸዊት). More than a source of sustenance, gedena embodies the collective nature of village life central to Eritrean culture. Adding the suffix -na shifts the word from singular to collective possession — from "the fertile land" to "our fertile land" — reflecting the fellowship and shared labor required to produce an art project that is both intercontinental and personal. Through shared making, Gedenana exhibits the first collaborative printmaking portfolio of its kind and Eritrean artists across the diaspora.