Black-Owned Galleries Now is an online showcase spotlighting 50+ Black gallerists and the Black artists they champion. This Black History Month, Artsy Editorial spotlights 10 rising artists we’re watching closely at the fair.
Tesfaye Bekele
B. 1982, Addis Ababa. Lives and works in Addis Ababa.
Tesfaye Bekele lays the canvas out beneath him before he starts painting. Supported by metal crutches, the Ethiopian artist towers above his work, swaying rhythmically as he wields a brush on a lengthy pole. This elevated perspective allows Bekele to execute sweeping strokes across his expansive canvases. For instance, in Elongated (2023), a riot of greens and earth tones clash and swirl. This piece is currently featured in Addis Fine Art’s presentation in Black-Owned Galleries Now.
In another piece, Blue (2023), Bekele evokes a moodier tone. Here, the stormy blues and erratic strokes evoke the tumult of a sea storm. For Bekele, these manic marks symbolize the turbulent paths we navigate in everyday life. “Most of us move through different situations, struggling and facing challenges. Movement is a process toward our final goal or success,” he explained in an interview with System Magazine.
An MFA graduate of Addis Ababa University, Bekele held his first solo exhibition with Addis Fine Art in 2023. He also exhibited at the Guramayne Art Center and LeLa Art Gallery in Ethiopia and participated in group shows at GravitArt Gallery in Kenya and Netzwerk Gallery in Trier, Germany. In addition to his practice, he teaches at the Allé School of Fine Arts and Design at Addis Ababa University.
—M.R.
