The source of the Blue Nile is a spring called Gish Abay. The spring lies at an elevation of 2800 meters above sea level in Ethiopia, and flows into Sudan, where it meets the White Nile. Together they form the Nile, which flows through Egypt and out into the Mediterranean Sea. Gish Abay is deemed sacred by the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia and is an important pilgrimage destination. Ethiopia has one of the oldest Christian traditions in the world. Already in the 4th Century, Christianity became the state religion, and it is said that the roots of the Ethiopian Church go back to the time of the apostles.

In his exhibition at LNM, Temesgen focuses on the water bottles the pilgrims use to collect the healing and holy water to carry home. Ordinary plastic water bottles or jugs are typically used, and when filled with water from Gish Abay, they become holy vessels that pilgrims bring home to bless and protect themselves and their homes.

It was during his second visit to Gish Abay that Temesgen became interested in the water cont-ainers: My trip continues with more chance meetings, interviews, conversations and performances. I spend as much time as I can close to, or in the water. I begin to think about the idea of the vessel, in the widest sense: that which holds or guides or transports the water. This includes but is not limited to: the riverbed; the constellation of rocks that embody the river spirits; the fabrics, goatskins, plastic water bottles and tanks used to carry the holy water; the human body itself. (From Robel Temesgen, Practising Water: report #1.)

The term adbar, a pre-Christian Amharic term adopted by Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, refers to the belief that natural landscapes, such as Gish Abay, are inhabited by protective spirits. Bottles line the edge of the water, waiting to be filled while the pilgrims perform ritual cleansing baths. The bottles are marked so their owners can recognize them. Temesgen describes the paintings of water bottles as both landscapes and portraits; they depict the landscape around the source, densely populated by bottles and vessels, and the bottles also represent the pilgrims who gather around the source or the spirits that inhabit the water.

This series of paintings is painted with water-based paint. They are almost monochromatic in ochre, yellow, crimson red, viridian green, or gray-black. The way the bottles are painted, partly overlapping, creates an almost ghostlike atmosphere that emphasizes their transparency. In this way, the water itself becomes an element that not only defines the motif but is also part of the medium in which the works are painted. The large, thick watercolour papers hang loosely on the wall and bend outwards, creating an almost sculptural presence in the space. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Robel Temesgen (b. 1987) is an artist whose practice spans painting, installation, and performance. His work explores the symbiotic relationships between people, places, and spiritual traditions. Temesgen’s long-term projects, including Adbar, Addis Newspaper, and Practising Water, examine how cultural memory and rituals shape public spaces and collective experiences. Temesgen is a PhD fellow in artistic research at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Since 2010, he has been a lecturer in the Painting Department at the Alle School of Fine Arts and Design, Addis Ababa University.