For Circle's presentation at 1-54 this year we have selected, Ethiopian printmaker Tiemar Tegene and Ugandan sculptor Donald Wasswa. Both artists have adapted and pushed the boundaries of their respective media to another level of skill, technique and elegance.
Donald Wasswa's work encourages conversations about the future of mankind by looking at the influence of science and technology in modern societies. He studies the process of transformation with his primary focus on humans versus nature, social interactions and the communication involved. Wasswa uses actual events to influence his research which rely on spontaneous encounters with natural or found objects. These objects are carriers of memories of places that he claims as art materials. He imagines the secret lives of these man-made creatures and how they will determine the future of human beings.
Tegene's portraits are intimate renderings of herself, her family, friends and strangers, that stem from an emotional spark, which she then responds to, sometimes with immediacy, other times a slower burn before resolution. Speaking of her practice as not only one of working, but healing as well, she works on her surfaces with tender gestures incorporating loose lines, elaborate depictions of patterned fabric, fine hatching and a deliberate use of positive and negative space. Tegene uses canvas for these large scale works, where she continues to push her experimental approach to printmaking seamlessly integrating reductive monotype printing with acrylic painting in monochrome.
