Daily Inspiration: Meet Bethlehem Tsehai

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bethlehem Tsehai.

Bethlehem, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Kansas City, Missouri but I spent my childhood in Vancouver, British Columbia. My parents worked in the non-profit sector enrolled my older sister and I in art classes when we were kids. There’s this arts org, Arts Umbrella in the city. I remember being 8 or 9 years old in painting and drawing classes, performance classes as a teenager. It was so fun. I think that was the first time I picked up a paintbrush. It was a very welcoming, collaborative place where I first realized I was an artist. At a young age, I found this comfort in expressing myself creatively through visual arts and performance.

When I graduated high school, I couldn’t really make the connection for myself between how to support myself financially and making art. I recently graduated from the MFA program at CalArts.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been challenges for sure. I mean, diving into the program was a huge leap for me. Going forward and being open to new experiences and challenging myself with how I approach my practice, to let go of certain expectations I didn’t know I had for myself was challenging. Giving as much as you can to the experience felt kind of risky.

I can say I’m better for it. I learned a lot of new things and most importantly I got into video making which has expanded the way I approach my work.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an artist that makes videos, performances, paintings, drawings and collage. My latest video, ‘boiling point’ looks at movement as language and draws on martial arts as a source.

It’s an experimental narrative short that draws on a recent personal experience as the departure point for the story. The video explores this specific absurd moment, my reaction, and moments where I have to choose to protect my energy over engaging with the absurd. In making the video, I also thought a lot about how there are absurdities embedded in the very mundane daily interactions we have in our daily lives. I’m really interested in the specificity of those experiences, the awkwardness of confronting those moments and how we get through.

Making it was a true labor of love and I’m so grateful for the experience. I got to work with my friends which was a huge delight. It was a true collaboration. Including cinematography by Advik Beni and Trisha Bhattacharya. The film features Dionne Robinson, Kara Hart, Sundhya Anthony, Josephine Shetty, and Ezra Avila. The score was produced by Tyler Holmes.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I love being out shooting with people. It’s truly a thrill to bring an idea to fruition – from writing to shooting to editing. This constant loop of being in conversation with collaborators through research, performance, music or critique is a rewarding process. I find that it required a lot from us, both physically and emotionally. It’s so beautiful to watch. I was learning how to make a video as I was making it. The luxury of being in school is that I had some time, even if it felt tight at certain moments. So we’d shoot in January, then a life event occurred in February, so I added that in the script, and as a result I decided to re-work the narrative and shoot more in March, with a deadline of mid-April. So it was thrilling to make these decisions and collaborate with amazing artists.

Contact Info:

• Website: bethlehemtsehai.cargo.site
• Instagram: Instagram.com/betty_tsehai

Image Credits
Yun Gi Ahn (1-4) Trisha Bhattacharya (6)