Phoenix Series
July 6-July 28, 2024

Phoenix Series is a self-portrait series of large cyanotype handmade prints created with digital negatives on watercolor paper. The series is based on the mythical bird which represents renewal, and a very personal form of rebirth. Across the images, deep blue contrasts a moving white figure evoking turbulence, vulnerability, and introspection.

Redeat’s practice focuses on being slow and intentional, from being in front of the camera to developing and producing the final image. The images were created using slow shutter speeds and a very intensive printing process. This project pushes the boundaries of her previous work in terms of size (44 x 60 in), length to develop (10 days per print), custom printing reagents (cyanotype) and hand-based editing techniques, self-portraiture compared to capturing portraits of other women muses, and deeper cultural significance following extensive time in Ethiopia. The photographs in the Phoenix Series hang consecutively from I to VI.

About the Artist
Redeat Wondemu’s journey began in 2005 in a university darkroom where she shot film for the first time. After a decade hiatus, she re-entered the darkroom and began to refine her printing skills through internships and residencies. Traveling to her home country of Ethiopia has since allowed her to tell long-form, visual stories of women using both digital and film techniques.

Redeat was concurrently a scholar in residence at the Hillwood Museum and a faculty member at Photoworks, where she recently served as an Artist in Residence. She just became a Humanities DC: Community Culture and Heritage grant recipient for her photography series, “The Games We Played”.