Addis Merkato: an Abstract Study

In the backseat of a taxi, the air inside acrid with the smoke from the cigarettes being pulled on by the taxi driver and my new friend, Deepak. We had just visited the National Museum, and I’m pondering the wonders of this lively city, when the overcast sky broke open and started pouring down buckets.

As we drive through the streets to the Merkato, it is evident that the stallholders were prepared for the storm, and blue tarps flap in the wind, groaning under heavy loads of water.

Through the window of the taxi, water distorting reality, an abstract study, the world alternate, different.

Stripped of the cacophony of colour, frozen, soundless, scentless – representing this city’s essence, I’ve created a collection of images that speak to the heart more than the mind, textures that stroke your soul more than your skin.