Twenty-First Century Akodama

Asprey Studio and the Ethiopian artist collective Yatreda resurrect and reimagine a Akodama – a traditional male crown that, in Ethiopia’s Amhara highlands, used to be a mark of nobility worn by chieftains and warriors. Forged from silver and draped with cascading chains, it symbolised strength and divine favour. Today, its traces survive only in fragments: a single safeguarded example in the British Museum, and faintly visible in historic paintings and early photographs made at the turn of the century. As a symbol of status lost to time, Twenty-First Century Akodama (2025) stands as proof of the enduring Ethiopian heritage and imagination. 

Artist: Yatreda

Year: 2025

Medium: Digital artwork by the artist paired with a silver sculpture by Asprey Studio.