Anthony Gebrehiwot From Boys to Men: The Road to Healing

Anthony Gebrehiwot is a Scarborough-based artist and community leader, whose creative lens re-visions photography as an ongoing dialogue of social change between subject and society. In his work, Gebrehiwot seeks to communicate without language in an intimate and vulnerable way. His latest series, From Boys To Men: The Road To Healing, is a visceral display of Black masculinity. The series of large-scale photographs exposes the necessary labour of unpacking learned behaviour attached to childhood trauma. While using the combination of contrasting landscapes, Black bodies, and raw human emotion, Gebrehiwot explores the affective power of Black bodies in confronting the viewer’s humanity and empathy.

Arranged in a non-narrative configuration, the photographs aim to destabilize the distinction between past, present, and future. Gebrehiwot’s unique visual language extends across temporal sensibilities, to trace the thread of trauma to the root. The metaphors meant through the selection of colour, texture, and emotional expression encourage the viewer to place themself within the poetry of masculine fragility.

Presented by the Doris McCarthy Gallery, University of Toronto Scarborough