American Cultural Envoy Presents "Faces of Mercato" Photo Exhibit

March 25, 2008
No. 09/08

Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – Deborah R. Malac, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires a.i., opened "Faces of Mercato," a photo exhibit by American Cultural Envoy Frank Hallam Day in the Mercato on March 25.

Chargé Malac said at the opening of the exhibition, "Perhaps no other place in Ethiopia highlights the rich diversity of Ethiopia as the Mercato does, and Frank Day’s images convey that rich diversity very well."

Struck by the beauty of the people and the rich visual contrasts in the market environment, Mr. Day started photographing merchants in Addis Ababa's Mercato in November 2006.  He shot hundreds of portraits and shared copies with the subjects.  The resulting exhibit depicts not only an American view of Addis Ababa's famous market, but also the beauty and diversity to be found in Ethiopia's everyday life.

Mr. Day is a fine art photographer based in Washington, DC.  He has traveled in and out of Ethiopia since 1978 and speaks Amharic.  In his role as a Cultural Envoy, he will present two photo exhibits and host four photography workshops in Addis Ababa.

Mr. Day has taught photography at several venues including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.  His photos are in numerous museum and private collections in the United States and abroad, including the State Museum of Berlin, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Portland Art Museum and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. 

The U.S. Department of State's Cultural Envoy program enables ambassadors of the performing and visual arts to travel abroad and share experiences and insights with international counterparts and audiences.  Chargé Malac said at the exhibit opening, "We all look forward to seeing how Frank Day's work will be further enriched by contact with Ethiopian photographers, as well as how his work will influence them in their recording of Ethiopian life and society."

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