Maker Monday: An aspire Exclusive Interview With Jomo Tariku

Jomo Tariku, an Ethiopian-American artist and industrial designer, has made significant contributions across various creative disciplines. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, he later moved to Addis Ababa before immigrating to the United States in 1987 to pursue higher education. His unique brand of modern African furniture design emerged during his undergraduate years at the School of Art and Design at the University of Kansas in 1992-93. Jomo’s early work and presentation earned him permanent residency in the U.S. through the National Interest Waiver visa in 1997. His furniture designs draw inspiration from Africa’s rich cultural heritage, historical structures, traditional furniture, craft, colors, artifacts, landscapes, wildlife, and even hairstyles. As a co-founder of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, Jomo actively advocates for Black designers on a global scale. Jomo is represented by Wexler Gallery in the U.S. and Foreign Agent Gallery in Switzerland. See how Jomo draws inspiration from Africa and its culture in today’s Maker Monday.

Meedo Chair – Merges the iconic Afro comb, a symbol of cultural pride, with the tradition of ceremonial seating in Africa.

Andrew Joseph: How do you approach a new design project?
Jomo Tariku: I am always looking out, researching and documenting inspirational visual cues and stories from Africa. The inspirations are not necessarily other furniture designs, but it could be anything from the continent — artifacts, patterns and colors, architecture, wildlife, etc.

AJ: What is the most challenging project you’ve worked on and how did you overcome it?
JT: Planning and designing my solo show Juxtaposed has to be the most challenging project I have worked on as it was not easy to make all my different designs into a cohesive show, but still make each unique design stand on its own.

Nyala Chair – Inspired by the graceful Nyala antelope, this handcrafted chair features sculpted armrests and legs that echo its soaring horns and sturdy stance.

AJ: What is your favorite type of furniture to design?
JT: I love designing chairs and stools or in general, seatings. It is a very unique challenge and is very satisfactory when the final result comes out great.

AJ: How do you balance functionality and aesthetics in your designs?
JT: I think with long experience this part has become intertwined and I don’t see one separate from the other. A functional chair has to be beautiful and a beautiful chair has to be functional. It is a challenge I always put on myself even though just designing a chair is complicated enough if you look at it from an ergonomic point of view only let alone trying to get all the parts that make a chair be considered functional and not sculptural.

Zagwe Wardrobe – Draws inspiration from the architectural styles of Northern Ethiopia, particularly the alternating stone and wood design of the Yemrehana Krestos Church.

AJ: What’s a new hobby/skill that you have learned recently?
JT: Like most makers, I hate painting but through practice, I have become a better furniture finisher and painter using an HVLP spray gun. It is one of those skills that knocks you on your head the moment you feel over confident and rush things. Looks boring to many people, but it requires patience and attention to detail to get a good result.

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