Addis Fine Art is closing its permanent space in London, having opened in Fitzrovia in 2021. The decision comes “as overhead costs rise and market uncertainty grows” while “niche galleries like ours have extremely low margins”, says co-founder Rakeb Sile. Her gallery will continue to operate in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, where it opened in 2016, with plans for more art fairs, pop-up shows and collaborative exhibitions internationally.
Forthcoming joint exhibitions in London include a show of Tadesse Mesfin at Vigo Gallery (from September 19) while Dawit Adnew and Adiskidan Ambaye feature in a group show at John Martin Gallery (September 12-20). Addis Fine Art will also return to London’s 1-54 art fair in October. “People are realising that in order for galleries to flourish, they need to find ways of working together,” Sile says. Her last show in the London space, of Sudanese artist Amel Bashier, closed on June 29.
Also closing is Vitrine, a gallery that opened in London in 2012 and in Basel in 2016, citing the “well documented” challenges that galleries face today.