Rebecca Ruth Ewnetu

Irish, 2022

Photograph | Unframed: 28 x 42 cm

‘My artwork, Irish, is a photo I had taken of four friends at a social event in Dublin about two summers ago. I couldn’t help but stop to capture a photo of these girls because of the confidence and beauty they exuded. The girls are all Irish citizens, like myself, Black and Irish. By titling my artwork Irish I wanted to raise the question of what it actually means to be such, especially because of the current cultural climate and worsening racist sentiment in the country of late.’ - Rebecca Ruth Ewnetu.

Rebecca Ruth Ewnetu is an Ethiopian-Irish photographer currently based in London. Her photography journey began three years ago in Kildare, when it occurred to her that she did not know of any other black female photographers in Ireland. She took it upon herself to start a project showcasing the diversity of Irish youth. She also began documenting Irish youth culture, and founded the physical print magazine yEWth. Ewnetu’s work has been described as loud, vibrant and provocative. Her aim is to spark important conversations surrounding topics of culture and community in Ireland.

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