Makda Embaie
(She/her)
Address: Startblokka, Østre Aker vei 90, 0596 Oslo
Floor: 2
The studio is open Saturday 26 April from 12-17
The nation state and language are central concepts in Makda Embaies practice. The works are expressed through sound, text, film, and installations. What happens when the art practices and tries living through the question of what language consists of? How can we practice language and other expressions as specific instead of language as a property of the nation state? Makda has studied at Konstfack, Biskop Arnös författarskola and has taken the post-master Decolonizing Architecture at the Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm. In 2022 she received her master’s degree from the art academy at KHiO. Recent works include the public light and sound installation “Gravel scatters time” in Gothenburg, the sound installation “If joy was the door, what would be the room?” at the Malmö Art Museum in the Latvian Collection, “The Geography of Cups” in the project (Re)Learning the Archive at the Design Archive in Nybro and at Form/Design Center in Malmö, and “Now that we’ve been together” which has been shown at e.g. Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo and during Oslo Contemporary Music Festival at Gamle Munch.
Sound, video, photo, text, publications, social practice
"The Geography of Cups", Makda Embaie, two-channel video and sound, 2023, The Design Archive in Nybro, Photo: André Lindahl
"Now, that we have been together", Makda Embaie, sound, pillows and carpets, 2022, Kunstnerenes hus. Photo: Istan Virag
"Gravel Scatters Time", Makda Embaie, light and sound, Göteborg Stads Parkering AB, Heden, Göteborgs konst, 2023. Photo: Elena Jarl
Planned projects and exhibitions
22.03-01.06 Solo exhibition “The Fruit is Ripening”, Konsthallen Blå stället, Gothenburg, 2025CV
CV
EDUCATION
2020-2022 Master in Fine Arts, Oslo National Academy of the Arts
2021 Black Europe Summer School, International Institute for Research and Education in Amsterdam
2018-2020 Post-master, Decolonizing Architecture, Royal Academy of Arts, Stockholm
2019 Exchange semester, Birzeit University, Palestine
2017-2020 Bachelor in Fine Arts, Konstfack, Stockholm
2015-2017 Biskop Arnös Författarskola, Creative writing
2014-2015 Politicies bachelor programme in Political Science and Economics, Stockholm University
SELECTION OF EXHIBITIONS AND ARTISTIC COMMISSIONS
2024/2025 Black Archives Sweden and Skånes Konstförening – Facade exhibition based of photography by James Barnor
2024/2025 The Latvian Collection, Latvian Museum of Art, participating with If joy was the door, what would be the room?
2024 Cancel Culture Club & Spa at Nitja senter for samtidskunst- Invited to participate as part of Brown Island
2024 hooking up
Duo show with tiny Karlsson Savci at Bareum Konsthall in Oslo
2023 Something Else III Off Biennal in Cairo in Novembe, Participates in an activation of the erotic text work hooking up with tiny Karlsson Savci.
2023–2026 Gravel Scatters Time, Public light and sound installation for the city of Gothenburg
2023 Biennale MOMENTUM 12: TOGETHER AS TO GATHER, Participating with the work and translation session Breaking bread and language
2023 Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, the old Munch Museum
Participating with the sound installation Now, that we have been together
2023 Form/Design Centre, Participating with The Geography of Cups
2023 Breaking bread and language, House of foundation, Moss, Artist and publisher Jessica Williams curates (be)longing, a six-part exhibition spanning over one year.
2023 If you remain indelible, FKDS duo-exhibition at Kunstnernes hus with Hamid Waheed
2022-2023 The Geography of the Cup, In the project (Re)learning the archive, residence and exhibition
2022-2023 If joy was the door, what would be the room?, In the exhibition The Latvian Collection at Malmö Konstmuseum, accuried to the museum’s permanent
collection
2022 Folk tror Foxtrot, MA-graduation show at Kunstnerens hus in Oslo
2022 BEING, Group show in three parts with BIPOC students at KHiO
2021-2022 Phantoms of the Common, Tensta konsthall open call Exhibition, Participated with What would language be if it arose here?
2021 Dreaming coffee, soundwork for Radio Cyklopen 1st of May edition
2021 #ourfeminism, Instagram video work and physical installation with Ifrah Osman Hassan, Cirenia Esquivel and Makda Embaie at Bananaz Oslo,
2020 The Kitchen Fan, Sound work and installation at Bananaz, Oslo
2020 Emanating, absorbed, Video and projection installation, M-Lech, Seilduken 1, Kunsthøgskolen in Oslo
2020 My Tounge is an Anchor, with Johanna Gustafsson Fürst, Konsthallen, Blå Stället, Gothenburg, Participated with the video and sound installation What would language be if it arose here?
2019 Through me, Duo show with Petra Bauer
Photo and sound installation at Stockholms museum for Women’s history.
2018 On photography – Susan Sontag, Participated with a photo and sound installation
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 Nu, när vi varit med varandra/Now, that we’ve been toghether, Stockholm’s smallest exhibition space for sound art, Hägerstensåsens Citizens House
2022 Nu, när vi varit med varandra/Now, that we’ve been toghether, MA-solo graduation show
2022 Å bryte brød og språk/Breaking bread and language, Aereal, Bergen for the Borealis festival part Resonating Nordnes
2020 What would language be if it arose here?, Konstfack, Sound and text installation in a residential apartment as my Bachelor Graduation Show
2019 Language as diasporic heritage, Royal Academy of the Arts, Translation Session
ART RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE
2024 UngKunst workshop series, Ås Kulturskole
2023 Oslo City Jubilee, Jury to select public artwork for the jubilee year 2024
2021 Board member at Oslo National Academy of the Arts
2021 United sisters camp, Gave a lecture and workshop for youth at Foranndringshuset camp participants
2021 Curatorlab lecture on Brown Island history
2021 Coordination of Taking Root, A theatre play by Hamid Waheed
2021 Brown Island lecture at Stockholm University of the Arts
2021 Ruiner – language and archelogy, Lecture at Biskops Arnö
2020 Lecture at Seminar for Debutants
Biskop arnös författarskola
2020 Art+reserach – Language’s performative power
Accelerator, University of Stockholm
2019 African Diasporic Talks, Migration memory encounters
Panel with Fatima Moalim and Ceclia Germain, Malmö
2018 Sometimes it was beautiful, a film by Christian Nyampeta
Coordinator and acted the role of Winnie Mandela
2016-2020 Tensta konsthall, kunsthalle in the suburbs of Stockholm, Sweden
I have worked with mediation, done city walks with a focus on architecture, urban planning, art, and literature, made adapted and general guided tours, assisted artists in research, translation, project-led courses and day workshops for children and youth. In addition, administrative work such as reports, applications for funding, translation, inventory, sales, and plans of operation.
2015-2020 Pedagogy
I have worked in several different pedagogical roles. In 2015/16 I worked at Järvaskolan’s high school as a poetry teacher. I have facilitated independent workshops in creative writing through Revolution Poetry, Tensta Konsthall and Stockholm School Deluxe.
RESIDENCIES AND GRANTS
2022-2023 The Geography of the Cup, In the project (Re)learning the archive, residency and exhibition
2023 BKV – Ettårig stipend á 300.000,- kroner
2022 Diversestipend for nyutdannede kunstnere
2022 BKH Kunststudentstipend
2022 FKDS studio grant
2021 FKDS grant
2021-2022 Residence at Aereal
Bergen, Norway