Addis Fine Art is proud to present a solo exhibition by Addis Gezehagn for the 2018 edition of 1- 54 Contemporary African Art Fair, taking place between 4 - 7 October 2018 at Somerset House, London.
Addis Fine Art will present a solo exhibition from Gezehagn's "Floating Cities" series in which he depicts dreamlike deconstructed and layered renderings of the urban landscapes rising above the ground. These compositions made by layering magazine cut outs with acrylic paint, blend the boundaries of fantasy and reality of urban life, blurring the lines between the past, present and future. Flattened and reductive, Gezehagn's works imagine cityscapes as towers, or patchworks of colourful doors and gates, the architectural structures seeming to signify a natural, organic network of living spaces. The rootless and ephemeral nature of these layered towers call into question the lives of the inhabitants. These works are a documentation of the increasingly changing landscape of Addis Ababa and the communities that reside in neighbourhoods such as Kasanchis, Piassa and Arat Kilo. The distinct rusted corrugated iron roofs of the homes in these communities can be seen in some of his paintings offering the impression of an aerial perspective. Yet, this is within an abstracted context, as the observer is confronted with nonsensical blackened doorways placed on what are perceived to be the rooftops of these homes.
Wednesday 3 October - By invitation
Thursday 4 October - 11-7pm
Friday 5 October - 11-7pm
Saturday 6 October - 11-7pm
Sunday 7 October - 11-6pm