‘My aim was to create a group of figures engaged in unknown activities, intentionally leaving the situation ambiguous to the viewer. I intend to evoke a sense of being scrutinised and potentially prejudged in the minds of viewers as they see my paintings.
My intention is to encourage viewers to confront their own biases and preconceptions as they engage with my artwork.' - Tesfaye Urgessa
I hate to break it to you: art is NOT going to save the world. But it will 100% nourish our souls, open our eyes, and remap the landscapes in our minds, expanding our ability to see and feel beyond visual perception. It will also make us feel grateful for its existence, and lucky we are able to experience it.
All of the above was very much true for me during my encounter with Tesfaye Urgessa's art, an Ethiopian artist I knew nothing of (thank you Kat Mellor for the tip!). His visual language incorporates the iconography of his native country along with a clear nod to traditional figurative painting and German Neo-Expressionism (Urgessa lived in Germany for 13 years where he formally trained at Stuttgart's Academy prior to returning to Addis Ababa). This approach gives life to a truly distinctive style that mesmerises and resonates in equal measure. No, make that 65/35.
I was particularly struck by Urgessa's colour palette. Warm earth tones, olive greens, mustard yellows, somber greys, and countless hues of dusty fleshy pinks. I kept going back to each painting following colour and ended up discovering new details and powerful brushstrokes. It is impossible not to engage with these canvasses, which are inhabited by solemn naked figures looking back at us. There is a stillness and a dynamism to these settings, they exude both familiarity and discomfort. Urgessa's paintings are beautiful, surreal, comforting, chaotic, mysterious, confusing, probing and inspiring. Yes, they are all of these important things, and I would urge you to go see them at Palazzo Bollani before the Biennale closes on 24/11.
