Dawit L. Petros is a visual artist, researcher and educator who examines the intertwined and multiple narratives of African and European colonialism and modernity.
2025 Biennial Year Find out more
He draws from his study of history to engage with effects of displaced or forgotten histories. Petros conducts extensive research and travel to inform production across materials and mediums, including photography, sculpture, screen prints, video, performance and sound. His sensitivity to political engagement is fused with aesthetic language that pays keen attention to color and abstraction, reflecting Petros’ long-standing preoccupation with traditions of minimalist sculpture and conceptual artmaking. This enables Petros to engage in a metaphorical dialogue with contemporary issues of displacement and place-making that challenge traditional forms of narrative representation associated with documentary imaging.
Petros completed the Whitney Independent Study Program, an MFA in Visual Art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University; a BFA in Photography from Concordia University; and a BA in History from the University of Saskatchewan. Recent national and international venues that have exhibited his work include Haus der Kunst, Munich; Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort; Wereld Museum, Rotterdam; Tate Modern, London; KØS Museum for Art in Public Space, Nørregade, Køge; Ozangé Spanish Biennial of African Photography, Malaga; Oslo Kunstforening, Oslo; Huis Marseille Museum of Photography, Amsterdam; The Studio Museum in Harlem, NYC; The National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC; and the Bamako Biennale in Mali.
Petros has been recognized with numerous accolades, such as The Terra Foundation for American Art Research Fellow, a Fulbright Fellowship, the Paul De Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award in Art Photography, an Art Matters Fellowship, and Artist Residencies at The Studio Museum in Harlem, The McColl Center for Visual Art, and Addis Ababa Photo Fest.
Dawit L. Petros is represented by Tiwani Contemporary in London, UK, and Bradley Ertaskiran in Montreal, Canada.
Upcoming exhibitions:
A World in Common, C/O Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 2025
From the Edge of the Horizon, Remai Modern, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, 2025
Prospetto a Mare, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, Il, USA, 2024
Points of Resonance, The Africa Center, NYC, NY, USA, 2024
Ekphrasis, Tiwani Contemporary, Lagos, Nigeria, 2024
Liverpool Biennial 2025
'As the Nile Flows or the Camel Walks', 2025
Dawit L. Petros is a visual artist, researcher and educator who examines the intertwined narratives of African and European colonialism and its impacts on contemporary life. He draws from his study of history to engage with the ongoing effects of displaced or forgotten histories.
This installation is a survey of work and research which has developed through a residency with Liverpool John Moores University and through deep exploration into archives and collections held in the city. It is a hypothetical re-reading of a historical military expedition of the Nile River in Egypt from 1884-1885. This British-led expedition included 379 ‘Voyageurs’ from across Canada and Quebec including French Canadian, Western Canadian and First Nation people who were transported on a fleet of
Dawit L. Petros is a visual artist, researcher and educator who examines the intertwined narratives of African and European colonialism and its impacts on contemporary life. He draws from his study of history to engage with the ongoing effects of displaced or forgotten histories. This installation is a survey of work and research which has developed through a residency with Liverpool John Moores University and through deep exploration into archives and collections held in the city. It is a hypothetical re-reading of a historical military expedition of the Nile River in Egypt from 1884-1885. This British-led expedition included 379 ‘Voyageurs’ from across Canada and Quebec including French Canadian, Western Canadian and First Nation people who were transported on a fleet of converted whaleboats. Their objective was to reach Khartoum – the capital of Sudan, which was at the time an Egyptian province – to save its British Governor General. Major-General Charles Gordon had been attacked by forces inspired by the call to liberate Sudan from foreign control. Petros invites visitors to ‘textually travel’ through the records and artworks on display – some gathered and some newly-created in response to Liverpool’s archives of shipping and empire. Through doing so, the artist seeks to interrogate elements of the past which are simultaneously hidden and present in both material practices and the psyche, and in visible and invisible places. He reflects on themes of control, power, movement and travel, making connections between events, diverse communities, languages and places frequently thought of as remote from each other. Courtesy of the artist and Tiwani Contemporary. Co-commissioned by Liverpool Biennial and The Institute of Art and Technology, Liverpool School of Art and Design, Liverpool John Moores University, with support from Québec Government Office, London, and Tiwani Contemporary. With thanks to Vicki Caren at Liverpool Record Office and Heather Thrift at The Athenaeum. Credits: Translators & Performers: Ali Al-Jamri and yasser elhariry (Arabic); Cormac O’Briain (Gaelic); Hala Alsalman (French and English); Mehreen Khalid (Urdu) Studio & Production: Lead Production Assistant: Alex Adkinson Production Assistant: Julia Yae-Eun Lee Production Assistant: Maggie Minor Sound Editing & Design: Matt Girard Cinematography & Film Editing: Clark Ferguso Showing at Liverpool Central Library
'As the Nile Flows or the Camel Walks', 2025
Showing at Liverpool Central Library
Mon-Fri 9am-8pm Sat 9am-5pm-
Dawit L Petros, ‘As the Nile Flows or the Camel Walks’, 2025. Liverpool Biennial 2025 at Liverpool Central Library. Photography by Mark McNulty.
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Dawit L Petros, ‘As the Nile Flows or the Camel Walks’, 2025. Liverpool Biennial 2025 at Liverpool Central Library. Photography by Mark McNulty.
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Dawit L Petros, ‘As the Nile Flows or the Camel Walks’, 2025. Liverpool Biennial 2025 at Liverpool Central Library. Photography by Mark McNulty.
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Dawit L Petros, ‘As the Nile Flows or the Camel Walks’, 2025. Liverpool Biennial 2025 at Liverpool Central Library. Photography by Mark McNulty.
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Dawit L Petros, ‘As the Nile Flows or the Camel Walks’, 2025. Liverpool Biennial 2025 at Liverpool Central Library. Photography by Mark McNulty.
Liverpool Biennial 2025
'Recollections (Contrasting Notions, Battalion 6, 11, 19, 36 & 12 )', 2023
Dawit L. Petros examines the intertwined narratives of colonialism and modernity. He draws from his study of history to engage with the ongoing effects of displaced or forgotten histories.
To the left, Petros’ series of screenprints explore popular representations of Eritrean askari, indigenous troops recruited into Italy’s colonial army. Eritrea was an Italian colony from the late 19th century until the Second World War. These works are created using images found in postcards and illustrated magazines collected and reproduced here by the artist.
The vertical bands of colour and the number of each title reference the battalions under which askaris served. The abstract forms overlay the found imagery, obscuring it and referencing the unreliability and conflicting interpretations of historical documents from different
Dawit L. Petros examines the intertwined narratives of colonialism and modernity. He draws from his study of history to engage with the ongoing effects of displaced or forgotten histories. To the left, Petros’ series of screenprints explore popular representations of Eritrean askari, indigenous troops recruited into Italy’s colonial army. Eritrea was an Italian colony from the late 19th century until the Second World War. These works are created using images found in postcards and illustrated magazines collected and reproduced here by the artist. The vertical bands of colour and the number of each title reference the battalions under which askaris served. The abstract forms overlay the found imagery, obscuring it and referencing the unreliability and conflicting interpretations of historical documents from different sources. On the right, the steel sculpture commemorates the 1998-2000 border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Discrepancies in colonial era maps were significant catalysts for the war and are reflected here in the design which, although made of a solid material, alludes to fluidity and movement through its lines and reflective surface. Courtesy of the Artist and Tiwani Contemporary. Supported by Québec Government Office, London, and Tiwani Contemporary. Showing at Tate Liverpool + RIBA North
'Recollections (Contrasting Notions, Battalion 6, 11, 19, 36 & 12 )', 2023
Showing at Tate Liverpool + RIBA North
Monday to Sunday 10.00am-5:50pm-
Dawit L. Petros, Recollections (Contrasting Notions, Battalion 6, 11, 19, 36 & 12 ), 2023Liverpool Biennial 2025 at Tate Liverpool + RIBA North. Photography by Mark McNulty.
Venue
Liverpool Central Library
William Brown St, Liverpool L3 8EWAccess facilities available
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Venue
Tate Liverpool + RIBA North
21 Mann Island, Liverpool L3 1BPAccess facilities available
View venue