Kara Wackrow: Artist Statement
As an artist, I create material that transcends and transforms the lives of everyone involved, through the creation process as well as the final outcome. It is my job to tell the story of the human experience and make people question themselves and the world they see, and to bring people closer together in that experience. Now is the best time to create, to tell the stories of the unheard and unseen. I choose to focus on topics that need to be surfaced. Issues that are important to me are: oppression, mythology, womanhood, culture, freedom, and the elders. My approach is abstract and poetic I use realistic, raw imagery to create my stories.
Helen Gebregiorgis: BIO
Helen is an Eritrean-American researcher and visual storyteller, with a passion for Africa and human connection. She has worked on a number of short independent films, conducted videography, and photography for various events and has travelled and documented throughout Eritrea, Egypt, and Kenya.
Her portfolio of achievements includes first place winner for the short film ‘Mute’ at the National Coalition Against Censorship youth contest as well as honourable mentions for the documentary ‘Dysmorphia’ at the Columbia College Chicago Documentary Festival and best short film “Stillborn” at L.A Reel Films Festival. Inspired by her interest and personal experience with migration, Helen held a photo exhibition for Black History Month in England titled ‘A Different Lens’ in 2017.
In addition to her passion for film and photography, Helen has also undertaken research on Eritrean migration and presented her work at the ‘International Conference on Eritrean Studies’ in Asmara, Eritrea, the ‘HESPI Conference on IGAD Economies’ in Khartoum, Sudan, and was recently invited to the Regional Consultative Meeting of the Global Compact on Migration at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa. Helen Gebregiorgis holds a Masters Degree in Media and International Development from the University of East Anglia, in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Arts in Film from Columbia College, in the United States.