ETHIOPIA - Sophia Kifle (b.1958) a dedicated artist who migrated to the U.S. in 1982, addresses  issues such as humanity, freedom, pain and love in her work. She is a prolific painter who received her MFA from Howard University in 2000. Much of Sofia’s work shows compartmentalization, an attribute of traditional Ethiopian story paintings where you see frame after frame as the story progresses. Her work exudes a sense of mystery. Recently she has begun to incorporate sand to add texture to her pieces. The Invisibles features twelve faces encased in cocoon-like gossamer, a commentary on personal interactions in western society that contrast with the African custom where strangers look each other in the face in passing and smile or say hello. Sofia has said of this piece, “Nobody seems to look at each other ... just random faces carrying their shield in the mask ... always disguised.” Silent Prayer describes the daily routine in Ethiopia, from chores to church and back home again – a cyclical interpretation including the watched and the watchers. The Search, in blues and black, offers interplay between artwork and viewer whereby the viewer becomes the artwork and the artwork becomes the viewer. “The eye that sees suspends the moment of the inner and outer forces of the human spirit.” Lost souls looking for themselves and one another? In The Solitary Meditation we see women with outstretched arms placed in random compartments, highlighted by backgrounds of bright orange–red. Salutations to the sun, perhaps? The blues and black lines resemble an aerial view of a bustling town. Imagination of a Dream, in rich earth tones, shows people in cubicles, with attributes the artist calls, “hushed stares ... a dream state ... contemplations”. Peace speaks of the all encompassing quest for freedom, harmony, and balance. “Peace is everything....Peace is the core of our humanity.” This abstract piece with all its oranges, pinks, blues, yellows and greens is a symphony of color and an ode to the title.