Wender·Vista
Addis Ababa
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileEthiopia
high on the Entoto plateau, in central Ethiopia

Addis Ababa

— a capital with coffee in its air.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The capital of Ethiopia, set at 2,355 metres on the Entoto plateau, one of the highest capitals on earth. The Mercato spreads through the western quarters, the largest open-air market in Africa. Holy Trinity Cathedral keeps the line of emperors. The light is thin and high, and the morning smell is always the same: roasting coffee, the country's first gift to the world.

from the studio
Addis Ababa
— bring it home

Addis Ababa, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Addis Ababa

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Addis Ababa, founded in 1886 by Emperor Menelik II, is the capital of Ethiopia and the seat of the African Union. The city sits at roughly 2,355 metres on the southern flank of the Entoto mountains, making it one of the highest capital cities in the world. The metropolitan population is over 5 million. Addis lies near the geographic centre of the country and serves as the principal hub for the highland coffee districts of Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Harar. The climate is temperate, with cool nights in every season.

— the air

At 2,355 metres the air thins enough that arriving travellers often feel it for the first day or two. Ethiopian distance runners, including Abebe Bikila, Haile Gebrselassie, and Tirunesh Dibaba, trained on these hills, and the Entoto ridge above the city tops out near 3,200 metres. Mornings are cool through every month; the long rains, the kiremt, fall from June to early September. Even in the dry season the sky carries the high-plateau weight of light, sharper than it should be for a city this size.

— informed by Wikipedia — Entoto
— the visit

The city is reached through Bole International Airport, about 6 kilometres south of the centre and the busiest hub in East Africa. Holy Trinity Cathedral, where Emperor Haile Selassie is buried, sits beside the Ethiopian Parliament. The National Museum on King George VI Street holds Lucy, the 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus skeleton, in a basement gallery. The Mercato lies further west and is best walked with a guide in the morning. The coolest months for a visit are October through February, between the long rains and the hottest stretch.

— where
Ethiopia · Addis Ababa
— elevation
2,355 m · 7,726 ft
— position
9.0320° N · 38.7469° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
8 km N
Entoto
mountain ridge
3 km W
Mercato
open-air market
2 km N
Holy Trinity Cathedral
cathedral
2 km N
National Museum of Ethiopia
museum
1 km E
Meskel Square
civic square
N
Addis Ababa
Entoto
Mercato
Holy Trinity Cathedral
National Museum of Ethiopia
Meskel Square
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Addis Ababa — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia, set at roughly 2,355 metres on the southern flank of the Entoto mountains in the country's central highlands. It is the seat of the African Union.

The city was founded in 1886 by Emperor Menelik II on the Entoto plateau, where his queen, Taitu, preferred the cooler climate. The site sits among the highest of any national capital, near 2,355 metres.

The Mercato in western Addis Ababa is the largest open-air market on the African continent, covering several square kilometres. It trades coffee, spices, fabric, and most everyday goods of Ethiopian life.

Lucy, the 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis skeleton found in the Afar region in 1974, is held at the National Museum of Ethiopia on King George VI Street in Addis Ababa.

October through February, between the long rains, kiremt, that fall from June to early September and the warmer pre-rain months that follow. Daytime is mild and nights are cool.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a thoughtful gift for customers with family in Addis or the highland coffee districts. The Entoto light and the cathedral line carry the city's texture. A Small with a handwritten studio note travels well.

The piece reads well in Mountain-modern, Earth-tone, and African-modern rooms, anywhere warm reds, golds, and high-altitude light are welcome. It also lifts a quieter Mid-century or Bohemian-modern wall.

A single Large reads cleanly above most consoles; above a full sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the field, and a 9-tile Mural lets the Entoto ridge and the cathedral silhouette breathe at room scale.

Yes. For wet rooms and splash zones we recommend the Dura Satin or Matte finish, soft sheen or no sheen, both scratch-resistant. The Glossy finish suits framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, beneath a thin glossy finish, so the image will not lift or fade with cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original studio work by Reid Wender, the curator. There is no licensing and no third-party imagery. The atlas is built one place at a time, slowly.

— if this one stayed with you

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Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.