Exposure Gallery held an artist talk on Oct. 6 as part of their Afar and Beyond exhibition, a solo show by photographer Leah Mowers.
Taken during a trip in November 2014 to Ethiopia, her photos depict the Afar people, a nomadic tribe from the Horn of Africa.
“It was a trip unlike anything I’ve ever done,” Mowers said. “I think it’s one of those trips you just can’t buy.”
“There’s things we got to do that people just would never get to do,” she added.
The exhibition contained about 15 different pictures, selected from over 1,000 taken over the trip. They included shots of people Mowers met on the trip, as well as pictures of the local scenery.
Mowers travelled with Can-Go Afar, a humanitarian organization dedicated to “[raising] funds, [delivering] worthy projects, and [advocating] for the Afar people.” According to Can-Go’s website, the Afar people struggle with high illiteracy rates, lack of access to education, and food and water shortages, among other issues.
The organization was founded by human rights lawyer Warren Creates, who also spoke at the artist talk, and travelled with Mowers on her 2014 trip.
“[Mowers] is a wonderful person with a great eye, and a great need to capture beautiful moments,” Creates said.
Mowers was unable to attend the talk herself due to a family emergency. Creates spoke about his organization’s work and the trip, and curator John Hallum spoke about the work itself.
Hallum highlighted some of the technical aspects of the photographs, and praised Mowers for her composition, simplicity, and subject matter.
“They have a context that you can relate to,” he said as he described the pictures.
Despite the large number of photos, Mowers had a tough time explaining what inspired her work.
“I can’t actually describe what attracts me,” she said. “I just see it and I want to capture it.”
Mowers also said the people she saw inspired her photos.
“I think when you look at people’s faces, you can see stories,” Mowers said. She added she plans to return to Ethiopia in January to revisit the Afar people and see what has changed.
Hallum said Mowers’ exhibition has been well-received by the visitors to the gallery, and has set records for pieces sold by an artist at the gallery.
“They love the colour, they love the children,” Hallum said. “It helps them relate to these people.”
Creates said the Afar tribe, and the issues they face, have not received a lot of attention in North America, and said he believes the exhibition is a good way to increase awareness.
“No one would hear about the Afar people in this country if it wasn’t for opportunities using art as a vehicle of demonstrating the lifestyle, as well of the challenges of the Afar people,” he said.
Thirty per cent of the proceeds from the exhibition will help aid Can-Go Afar in their future work.
