Family Portrait

Family Portrait | Acrylic on Canvas | 28 x 24 inches

This work of art is unlike anything I have ever made. The subject matter, a still life of a traditional Eritrean or Ethiopian coffee set which is called Bun or Buna, is a complete contradiction to my preferred subject matter, the human figure or portrait. However, I was complied to paint the coffee set because I found within them a profound reflection of my family.

What constitutes a family is not only biological, it also must extended to the relationship that is formed when engaged in a family activities. For my family, drinking traditionally prepared Eritrean coffee is the activity in which unites us and consequently strengthen the bond we share. We ritualistically drink coffee mostly every night; thus, we have become accustomed to it and slowly stopped recognizing its beauty. However, although repetition has rendered it insignificant, in reality it stands on the contrary; it still remains beautiful so far as one is will to celebrate the ordinary. Above all, despite my artistic ability to imagine, I can't imagine my family without coffee.

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