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Dawit Geressu and Yonas
Million decided to be partners in their studio,
Studio Ras Birhan, exactly a year ago. Two very
different artists, each with a unique way of viewing
art and the artist, came together in hope of
creating a space where they would be able to nurture
their artistic talents and create their art freely.
One year into the process, on Thursday October 18,
2007, they opened a month-long exhibition featuring
selected paintings and photographs from various
series that they had done. Featuring 31 pieces, the
exhibition is something that is innovative in the
forum of the Ethiopian art circle.
The exhibition is being conducted in Studio Ras
Birhan, located on the ring road, on the shoulder
road going from the Imperial Hotel roundabout to the
Bole roundabout, next to MOENCO. The space is not
one that you would be able to miss from the outside,
with colourful pictures drawn in loud colours on the
outside walls. But there is nothing on the outside
that prepares the visitor for what is found on the
inside. When you walk through the glass doors you
are confronted with a large rectangular white space
that contrasts sharply with the dark blue floors. A
two-metre long painting hangs on the furthest wall
of the ring road, making the space appear even
larger than it actually is.
There are three very different abstract works by
Yonas on the left of the first wall as you enter.
The canvases are about a metre on each side and
feature a glimpse into three very different series
that this artist has done over the years. The
confident strokes and the bold choice in colour by
this artist make his style mysterious and seductive
at the same time.
Two paintings by Dawit, one reasonably large and the
other quite small, use a theme of greens and
squares. The pieces are accented by a set of four
photographs. The larger piece has a photograph as
part of the green and yellow painting, a style that
is unique to Dawit and that makes his art easily
recognisable. There is also a traditional Ethiopian
facial form in the painting making it strikingly
familiar and new at the same time. The smaller
canvas offers a play on cubes; another style that
the artist has made all his own.
The front wall features the large painting of the
ring road done with a drip technique using orange,
black, yellow and red, flanked by two smaller
painting, by the same artist. The four-set painting
to the left displays small canvases hung together
done in blues oranges and reds. Despite their size,
the paintings are effective in their choice of
primary and gripping colours, and bring together the
contrast of colour and form.
To the right, there is an orange canvas that was
done from the remnants of a mop and has playful
texture and form. A section of the piece protrudes
out about five centimetres, and has a weight that is
magnetic to the eye. You keep going to the painting
wondering what it is that keeps pulling you back.
On the longest wall in the room, to the right of the
door, three paintings following the theme of the
large ring road scene are hung consecutively. Two of
the pieces are done in blues and shades of red while
one adds green and dark blacks to the mixture. The
pieces were done using remnant pieces of another
much larger painting, and when seen together have a
smooth flow to the eye.
Then come the photos displayed in the room. Dawit,
an abstract photographer, uses various themes and
methods of photography. His pictures were displayed
in sets or pairs, framed simply, or glued between
pieces of glass that the artist has painted, using
striking simplicity. One cannot really say that this
or that photo is this or that because they can be
seen differently depending on the person that is
looking at them.
The second room where more paintings and pictures
are displayed is narrower, but just as arresting.
The right wall presents more photographs by Dawit,
again with their innovative framing and interesting
shots. The wall opposite offers three paintings by
Yonas. They are medium-sized canvases, again one
very different from the next. The first painting
looks like a series of branches twisted and turned
into a pile. The second has a nude torso of a woman
that is surrounded by textured paint. The last
painting, very simple, offers a large dark central
form on an ochre background.
The wall is then finished off with three paintings
by the same artist that were painted using mud. The
texture that he has managed to create on the canvas
is something that had viewers present at the opening
show scratching and touching many of the paintings.
On the adjacent wall, there is a large piece by
Dawit, done in shades of blue and green. The piece
is one that has been nailed together and outside of
the colours and semblances of traditional forms that
one sees; the shape and effect of the canvas itself
is something that is unique and appealing.
Seeing an exhibition held in a space where the art
itself was created is something refreshing and
rewarding to the viewer. Given the lack of interest
on the part of the consuming public as well as on
the part of galleries to penetrate into the world of
Ethiopian contemporary art, seeing exhibitions such
as this one is something that can make an art
lover's day.
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