Theo Eshetu’s mixed African and European upbringing informs his contrast of African and Western outlooks under the umbrella of our increasingly shared global culture. Trained in photography in London, Eshetu pioneered video artmaking during the 1980s. His explorations of the tension between photography, documentary filmmaking, and the aesthetics of video have led to distinguished achievements both as an artist and filmmaker. Eshetu was one of the first artists to employ video-wall installations, and frequently splits and mirrors moving images to kaleidoscopic effect.

Eshetu’s works have been exhibited widely, more recently in Streamlines: Oceans Global Trade and Migration at the Deichtorhallen Hamburg in Germany in 2015–2016, which was curated by Koyo Kouoh. Further locations include the Tate in London; the ICA in London; and Martin Gropius Bau in Berlin, amongst others. His work is currently exhibited in Senses of Time: Video and Film-Based Works of Africa at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in the US, through January 2017.