Floating Souls: Engdaye Lemma

We are pleased to present Engdaye Lemma’s first solo exhibition, Floating Souls, at Addis Fine Art London. Engdaye Lemma’s (b. 1980) experimental print-making practice synthesises screen-printing, painting, and collage media. Exploring the many ways in which life and culture intertwine, his work interrogates the texture of society. Engdaye takes inspiration from ethnography, harnessing the power of art to bridge the gap between knowledge and lived experience. 

Living and working in the bustling city of Addis Ababa, for Engdaye, the ebbs and flows of city life are a subject of deep curiosity. He often reflects on the ways in which public and private spaces overlap in urban environments. The visual density of his works speaks to the everyday chaos of life in the city: the rapid pace of change and movement, the blurred boundaries of individuality and collectivity, the rhythmic cacophony, and the continuous creation of residual artefacts. Lemma reflects on society and humanity as he navigates life, meaning, and existence through his work.

Engdaye Lemma was born and raised in Desse City, Ethiopia. His interest in visual art was cultivated at the Alle School of Fine Arts and Design, where he received his Bachelors of Fine Arts from Alle School of Fine Arts and Design and was part of the school’s first print-making cohort. Lemma now teaches at the School of Fine Arts and collaborates with several of his former teachers and inspirations including Zerihun Yetmgeta, Getachew Yoseph, Agegehu Adane, and Berhanu Ashagre.