An epic tug-of-war is being fought across the surface of this drawing, one that pits a bird in the upper left against a human figure in the lower right. Between them, signs and symbols of Ethiopia and its Christian Orthodox Church fill the composition in brilliant, almost-neon pastel. Alexander “Skunder” Boghossian—an Ethiopian-born, Washington, D.C.-based artist—created Blind Faith in the immediate aftermath of the 17-year-long Ethiopian Civil War (1974–1991). The work’s imagery and title reflect the hope and uncertainty of the time.