Audio/Visual storyteller Kenny Allen, a Washington, DC native, the last 16 years in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In the advent of his return home, he photographed the concerts of some of Ethiopia’s most prominent singers and players of instruments.

Upon his return to the District, Allen connected with friend and longtime collaborator, multi-hyphenated artist Wes Felton (Art! Hurts, @altblkdc) who proposed a project combining these photos with his unique style of paint, texture and social commentary. Felton, also a native Washingtonian, was drawn to the idea of using photographs as canvas, stating that his contribution to the work was rooted in placement around the subjects through free interpretation.

The result is “ተወርዋሪ ኮከቦች“ (Teweriwarī Kokeboch/ ShootingStars), a 16 piece collection of photos printed on art canvas, painted in acrylic, ranging in sizes from 8 x10 to 24 x36.