Habesha Culture
Following wars and border conflicts, tensions have prevailed between the ethnic groups of Ethiopia and Eritrea for decades – yet both countries share (at least in part) the same culture: they are all Habesha. Thomas Berghaus has had many contacts with the Habesha culture in recent years and has travelled to Ethiopia several times. Thomas Dorn, on the other hand, travelled through Eritrea and accompanied a music project by the French reggae artist Bruno Blum as a photographer. With the ‘Asmara All Stars’, Blum played on an album with the country’s best musicians in 2010. The exhibition shows a rich culture and sees itself as a counterpoint to the omnipresent coverage of poverty and refugees in the German mass media.
Vite
Thomas Dorn (born in 1962) was born in Neuss. The photo artist lives in Cologne and Paris. Thomas Dorn is best known for his CD covers in the fields of world music, jazz and pop. Photos by Thomas Dorn have already been shown in many exhibitions: Espace Guillaume Expo, Paris (2008), Fondation Blachère, Apt (2008), Galerie Davel 14, Cully (2007), Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg (2006), Maison de la Photographie, Hanover (2004), Kunstraum der Michael Horbach Stiftung, Cologne (2014) and many more. www.thomasdorn.com
Thomas Berghaus (born 1971) was born in Bensberg near Cologne. In addition to photography, Berghaus specialises in graphic design, classic lead typesetting and various printmaking techniques. Berghaus has been running the ‘Art of Buna’ gallery in Cologne since 2015. Berghaus is active as a musician under the pseudonym ‘Shareholder Tom’ and with his project ‘Batida de Colónia’. Berghaus has exhibited works at eFunktion in Cologne (2013 & 2014) and at Kunstraum B. in Kürten (2014).