Etiyé Dimma Poulsen

Born in 1968, in Aroussi, a rural village in Ethiopia, Etiyé Dimma Poulsen was orphaned at age two. Adopted by a Danish friend of the family, Gunnar Poulsen, Etiyé Poulsen's turbulent childhood led her through Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, and finally to Denmark. As a remedy for the constant uprooting and difficulties of communication that characterized her childhood, she began to paint at the age of fourteen. When no other alternative existed, painting became her expressive outlet. Poulsen studied art and art history in Denmark for two years. At 22, she traveled to France to live with partner and fellow artist Michel Moglia. Inspired by Moglia, Poulsen began sculpting in ceramics to once again communicate her worldview and emotions. Poulsen works have been on exhibition in Denmark, France, Spain, and other cities throughout Europe. Defining herself as a cultural hybrid, Poulsen has always been drawn to African art and aesthetics. She attributes this attraction to an unconscious cultural memory. Consciously, she uses Ethiopian art as a tool in her creative process. She rejects the "primitive" stigmatization of artists of African descent and views it as a barrier to her own artistic expression. When language barriers grew too great, Etiye's paintings and sculptures spoke for her. The works of Etiyé Dimma Poulsen, she stresses, are the embodiment of her vision and emotions which she attempts to communicate to the world.