MARA
40 Years of Oromo
Knowledge Making

In Oromo thought, time moves in rounds of return and renewal, called Mara, a philosophy shared by many Indigenous peoples. Similarly, knowledge is not made once and stored away. It is lived, carried on, and remade by each generation.

MARA brings together Oromo knowledge from the round we are living in. The exhibit includes journals made by students and activists in exile, recordings of birth rituals that Oromo women in the diaspora are reclaiming, the work of artist and civil rights activist Haacaaluu Hundeessaa (1986–2020), and new work by Twin Cities artists Agartuu Inor, Lokho Kotile, and Murata Woldeyohannes. Each one marks a turn of mara, knowledge being made anew.

MARA was developed by co-curators Ayantu Tibeso, Ego Ahaiwe Sowinski and Matshoshi Matsafu.

August 5, 6 PM — Opening Reception with Artist Talk

Gallery Hours
Wednesday, Friday – Sunday, 1 – 6 pM

Exhibition duration
August 1 - 16, 2026