The series portrays the experience of transnationality – the state of existing in two places at the same time. To capture the idea of holding on to memories of “home” while living away from the homeland, each print combines a photograph I took with a photograph taken from my subject family photo albums.

My subject is a young Ethiopian immigrant living in the United States. While conceptualizing the series, I interviewed my subject about which memories of her homeland shape her current identity most, as well as about how she continues to perform this identity in her day-to-day life in the US. One major theme that emerged was around her memories of visiting historical sites and landmarks in Ethiopia. Another theme is her connection with her loved ones who still live in Ethiopia. My subject keeps her connection to Ethiopia alive by eating at Ethiopian restaurants in the US as well as by maintaining close digital contact with her loved ones in Ethiopia.

The series opens with a print where the old photo of an Ethiopian mountain is more prominent and while the overlaid current photo of Ethiopian food fades into the background.  The series ends with a print where the old photo of an Ethiopian mountain fades in the background while the current photo of Ethiopian food moves to the foreground. Throughout the series, the two images contained in each print are both clashing and in harmony, which symbolizes the complexities of a transnational existence. The series also explores the constructed and unstable nature of national identity and concepts of homeland.