Ethiopia at the Crossroads
Isometric designed a monumental exhibition for Toledo Museum of Art’s iconic presentation of Ethiopia’s artistic traditions from their origins to the present day. Presented across three galleries and 8,765 sq. ft., the 225 historic and contemporary works span 1,750 years and tell the story of an uncolonized African nation that was the crossroads of the world’s major religions and cultures. The exhibition architecture draws inspiration from the monolithic forms of the churches of Lalibela, carved from red volcanic tuff. The exhibition visual identity similarly abstracts the Ge‘ez script to form a custom typeface, giving a visual voice to the story of the artifacts in the show. Together, they create a public forum within the gallery, a place of gathering and collective learning for museum audiences.
Project Vision
The exhibition architecture evokes the weight and volume of the historic rock-hewn churches of Ethiopia, and reddish-brown clay color provides a visual context that surrounds and honors the artifacts and their place of origin. We took the elevation of a traditional arch and abstracted it into the gallery floorpan, with walls rising tall to be in harmony with the gallery’s scale. Large-scale openings, both regular and whimsical, punctuate this extruded form, creating visual connections between the works as well as many potential trajectories of flow through the exhibition.
We designed a public forum within the monumental gallery, a place of gathering and collective learning for museum audiences.
Isometric Studio
Displayed in three galleries across 8,765 sq. ft., 225 works spanning 1,750 years showcase an uncolonized African nation, a historic crossroads of major religions and cultures.
Isometric Studio
Design + Execution
Each section of the exhibition features contemporary artworks that substantiate, question, and speculate on the historic artifacts, adding depth to their stories. In addition, the curator invited the Brooklyn-based Ethiopian art collective Yatreda to create and present original works as artists in residence. Their featured work, House of Yatreda, draws from the iconic Queen of Sheba and presents slow-moving digital portraits of futuristic Ethiopian protagonists, dressed in royal garb. We worked with Yatreda to design a monumental, immersive, multi-sensory experience for this presentation.
Each section of the exhibition features contemporary artworks that substantiate, question, and speculate on the historic artifacts, adding depth to their stories.
Isometric Studio
The exhibition evokes the weight and volume of the historic rock-hewn churches of Ethiopia, and reddish-brown clay color provides visual context, surrounding and honoring the artifacts and their origin.
Isometric Studio
Geometric and organic openings create an open flow within the gallery and visually connect works from different sections.
Isometric Studio
Custom casework in the center of the forum presents works in humidity-controlled cases and on vertical panels.
Isometric Studio
We worked with Yatreda, the Brooklyn-based Ethiopian art collective, to design a monumental, immersive, multi-sensory experience for their work.
Isometric Studio
Project Details
Design Team
Isometric Studio
Photo Credits
Isometric Studio
Open Date
August 2024