The Modern Muse photography series I created began in 2019 in Ethiopia. The series was born from me wanting to connect with my Ethiopian roots. After moving to Addis, I wanted to understand what life was like for modern women living in a patriarchal culture. I invite my sitters to come as they are and then get to know them by spending hours at a time listening to their experiences. This collaboration with my muses is an important key in my art because it captures the vision I set up to empower women to express themselves freely. I spent six months pre-conceptualizing how I wanted my photos to come out.

In 2019 when I started my series started examining who I should photograph, started painting my own backdrop, selecting the women (who are all strangers), and ultimately developing a trustworthy relationship to capture the art. Photographers and painters like Avedon, Penn, Rembrandt, and Modigliani inspire me. The portraits they captured are intense and honest. For me, intensity and honesty comes from getting to know my sitters and establishing trust before I photograph them. As cumbersome as it may seem to take film photography to Ethiopia and come back with it and develop and print the work, this process is extremely important and rewarding for me.

Limited edition silver gelatin prints are available in three sizes; small, medium, and large. Shipment available in U.S, Canada, and Ethiopia.