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Addis Contemporary: Circle Art Gallery

Past exhibition
17 June - 12 July 2015
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Overview
Addis Contemporary, Circle Art Gallery

Painting has always been the predominant medium for artists in Ethiopia. The development of the modern art movement in the country can be traced to the deeply rooted and dominant influence of church paintings. However, in every generation, artists have addressed socio-cultural, historic, economic and political issues and this is even more evident in the contemporary art scene.

Though most contemporary artists live and work in Addis, their work depicts what is happening all over Ethiopia; the turbulence caused by the dramatic development and transformation of the country. These changes are a source of inspiration for most of the artists here.

The 11 artists showing in the exhibition "Addis Contemporary" at the Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi describe their experience of a fast changing Addis during this critical period of its history. Through imaginative, conceptual and perceptual frameworks, the happenings in the city can be traced in their art:

Dawit Abebe's concepts of In Between; Yosef Lule's Past + Future; Tesfaye Bekele's Cross Roads; Surafel Amare's impressions arising from Banana Displays; Addis Gezahegn's nostalgic fantasies of Old Town and Ephrem Solomon's social commentary are critical reflections of Addis life.

Other artists' work reflect more artistic preoccupations: Dawit Adnew's obsession for patterns; Kerima Ahmed's portrayal of contorted forms; Nebiat Abebe's exploration of movement, light and balance; Dereje Demissie's search for the link between identity and landscape and Tamrat Gezahegn's meditation on indigenous knowledge and practice.

There is a large community of artists in Addis who persevere despite a still-limited art audience in the country. Exhibitions like 'Addis Contemporary' that address the essence of the contemporary art scene of Addis in depth, will create a new platform to expose Ethiopian artists who have not received proper attention either at home or abroad.

It is my belief that a lot will come out of 'Addis Contemporary'!

Mifta Zeleke, Curator, June, 2015

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Works
  • Addis Gezahegn Floating Tower Acrylic And Collage On Canvas 80Cmx60Cm 2015
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  • Dawit Abebe In Between Ii Oil On Canvas 180Cmx140Cm 2013
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  • Addis Gezahegn The End Of Summer Acrylic And Collage On Canvas 110Cmx95Cm 2015
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  • Addis Gezahegn Old Tower Acrylic And Collage On Canvas 100Cmx80Cm 2015
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  • Dawit Abebe In Between I Oil On Canvas 180Cmx140Cm 2013
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  • Dawit Adnew Characters I Acrylic On Canvas 80Cmx73Cm 201
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  • Dawit Adnew Characters Ii Acrylic On Canvas 80Cmx73Cm 201
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  • Dereje Demissie Acrylic On Canvas 200X100Cm Belonging 2015
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  • Dawit Adnew Life S Borders Acrylic On Canvas 76Cmx96Cm 2014
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  • Dereje Demissie Acrylic On Canvas 170X100Cm Beyond The Destination 2015
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  • Ephrem Solomon Forbidden Fruit Series010 Acrylic And Woodcut 40X40Cm
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  • Ephrem Solomon Forbidden Fruit Series007 Acrylic And Woodcut 80X80Cm
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  • Ephrem Solomon Forbidden Fruit Series019 Acrylic And Woodcut 40X40Cm
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  • Ephrem Solomon Forbidden Fruit Series041 Acrylic And Woodcut 80X80Cm
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  • Ephrem Solomon Forbidden Fruit Series043 Acrylic And Woodcut 90X89Cm
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  • Kerima Ahmed Acrylic On Canvas 100X100Cm Untitled 2013 2
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  • Nebiat Abebe Untitled Iii Acrylic On Board 130Cmx50Cm 2014
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  • Kerima Ahmed Acrylic On Canvas 100X100Cm Untitled 2013
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  • Nebiat Abebe Untitled I Ii Acrylic On Board 27 5Cmx33Cm 2013
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  • Surafel Amare Banana With Bus Acrylic And Collage On Canvas 35Cmx25Cm 2015 2
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  • Nebiat Abebe Untitled Iv Acrylic On Board 40Cmx50Cm 2013
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  • Surafel Amare Banana Customer Acrylic And Collage On Canvas 40Cmx30Cm 2014
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  • Surafel Amare Banana With Bus Acrylic And Collage On Canvas 40Cmx30Cm 2015
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  • Surafel Amare Black Boxer Oil On Canvas 100Cmx85Cm 2015
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  • Surafel Amare Shemsu S Kioosk Oil On Canvas 90Cmx70Cm 2014
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  • Tamrat Gezahegn Adorn Nude I Acrylic On Canvas 40Cmx40Cm 2015
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  • Tamrat Gezahegn Adorn Nude Ix Acrylic On Canvas 40Cmx40Cm 2015
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  • Tamrat Gezahegn Adorn Nude Iv Acrylic On Canvas 40Cmx40Cm 2015
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  • Tamrat Gezahegn Adorn Nude Iii Acrylic On Canvas 40Cmx40Cm 2015
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  • Tamrat Gezahegn Adorn Nude Ii Acrylic On Canvas 40Cmx40Cm 2015
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  • Tamrat Gezahegn Adorn Nude Vi Acrylic On Canvas 40Cmx40Cm 2015
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  • Tesfaye Bekele Enclosure Acrylic On Canvas 50Cmx50Cm 2015
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  • Tamrat Gezahegn Adorn Nude Viii Acrylic On Canvas 40Cmx40Cm 2015
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  • Tamrat Gezahegn Adorn Nude Vii Acrylic On Canvas 40Cmx40Cm 2015
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  • Tesfaye Bekele Itibt Ii Umblical Cord Acrylic On Canvas 50Cmx50Cm 2015 1
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  • Tamrat Gezahegn Adorn Nude V Acrylic On Canvas 40Cmx40Cm 2015
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  • Tesfaye Bekele Itibt I Umblical Cord Acrylic On Canvas 50Cmx50Cm 2015
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  • Tesfaye Bekele Searching For Life Acrylic On Canvas 50Cmx50Cm 2015
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  • Yosef Lule Past Future Ii Oil On Canvas 100Cmx70Cm 2015
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  • Yosef Lule Past Future I Oil On Canvas 100Cmx70Cm 2015 1
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  • Yosef Lule Past Future Iii Oil On Canvas 100Cmx70Cm 2015
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  • Tesfaye Bekele Dance With The Mind Acrylic On Canvas 50Cmx50Cm 2015
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  • Tamrat Gezahegn Adorn Nude X Acrylic On Canvas 40Cmx40Cm 2015
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  • Tesfaye Bekele Itibt Iii Umblical Cord Acrylic On Canvas 50Cmx50Cm 2015 1
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Publications
  • Addis Contemporary

    Addis Contemporary

    Circle Art Gallery, 2015
    Online
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