Milton Keynes artist, Amanda Hottinger, exhibits a passionate, inspiring and emotive set of works through her perspective of three Ethiopian projects at the UCMK gallery Milton Keynes in November and December.
Born out of her deep emotional reactions to meeting with a number of inspired and inspiring individuals who are working in the context of remarkable poverty, she expresses their lively and hopeful personalities through her narrative portraits. These are introduced through some interpretive images of Ethiopia following visits to the north and south of the country and Addis Ababa.
The works focus on a large urban development project, an ex-street child’s initiative to help orphans of HIV/AIDS and churches helping mining labourers.
Dr Jember, a relative of the former Emperor Haile Selassie, who will be visiting the exhibition, started the urban project among the poorest of the poor in the capital after being released from four years in prison under the Mengistu dictatorship.
Tesfahaun Dendena, orphan and former street child helped through IHAUDP, with little formal education but huge amounts of passion and inspiration to help others, gathered volunteers around him and now over 200 children receive education, a meal a day, clothes and a mentor/befriender.
In the south of the country, the Ethiopian Addis Kidan church is in partnership with a British based christian mission. Amanda, conveys the joy and positiveness in her art that she found exuded from the miners, church workers and families.
“Meeting the individuals was very humbling and inspiring,” says Amanda, “It was amazing to see the passion, kindness and determination in people’s eyes. They are, through their hard work, achieving so much with so little. I was impressed that it took four hours walking for some of them to meet me. What they are doing is so important to them.”
Using a variety of media, including oil, acrylic, inks and the use of simple fabrics, notations and photographs, which contextualise the paintings, Amanda says that she hopes people will be encouraged by what they see and inspired to support the projects.
The gallery is located on the ground floor, next to the coffee shop at the University Centre Milton Keynes, 200 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes, MK9 1LT.
Opening times are 0800 – 2100 for the gallery located on the ground floor, next to the coffee shop.
For further information contact
Amanda on 07951 062473 amandarty@hotmail.co.uk
Gino, Milton Keynes College gino.ballantyne@mkcollege.ac.uk
Visit: www.ucmk.ac.uk/facilities/ucmk-galleries
