Nahom Teklehaimanot

Nahom Tecklehaimanot’s (b. 1991) large-scale canvases speak to the poignant experience of migration and the unifying weight of lived experience. His works explore the emotional and physical toll inherent in leaving one’s home. He first creates an assemblage of collaged images from magazines and archives before meticulously airbrushing these pieces into a cohesive two-dimensional composition. The smooth, almost ethereal quality of the airbrushing evokes the longing for a familiar comfort, a sense of belonging that has been disrupted. The fractured and fragmented nature of the disparate images, however, reveals the stark reality of displacement. The airbrush’s hazy touch, a reminder of fading memories and the life left behind, stands in contrast with the jarring edges of the composition, symbolising the sudden and often traumatic transition of migration. The works at once address the pain and uncertainty of displacement, and also embrace the resilience and adaptability that come with navigating a new environment.

Nahom Teklehaimanot (b. 1991) was born in Addis Ababa and grew up between Ethiopia and Eritrea. He is a self-taught artist, who developed his distinctive airbrush technique inspired by the simple artistry of children’s lullabies and songs. A strong believer in artistic freedom, his paintings incorporate a range of symbols, always adapting to new concepts to articulate struggles relating to race, oppression, culture, and the global condition. This will be the artist’s first solo exhibition since he attended The Noldor Residency in Accra, Ghana in 2023. He has previously had two solo shows, The First Amendment , The Gallery, Asmara, Eritrea (2017) and Untitled , The Gallery, Asmara, Eritrea (2019). He has participated in several group exhibitions including Unspoken Wars , AKKA Project Gallery, Venice, Italy, Figure This II , Sarah Kravitz Gallery, London, UK and Fictions , Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya.

Haggard Faces I

Acrylic on canvas

78¾ x 76¾ in.

200 x 195 cm

Haggard Faces II , 2024

Acrylic on canvas

78¾ x 76¾ in.

200 cm x 195 cm

Haggard Faces

Acrylic on canvas

59 x 59 in.

150 cm x 150 cm

Haggard Faces IV , 2024

Acrylic on canvas

59 x 59 in.

150 x 150 cm

Back and Forth Motion, 2024

Acrylic on canvas

78¾ x 76¾ in.

200 cm x 195 cm

Red, 2024

Acrylic on canvas

74¾ x 78¾ in.

190 x 200 cm

Wishing for an End, 2024

Acrylic on canvas

59 x 98⅜ in.

150 x 250 cm

Waiting II , 2024

Acrylic on canvas

59 x 59 in.

150 x 150 cm

Window Sill of Old House , 2024

Acrylic on canvas

78¾ x 78¾ in.

200 x 200 cm

Born in 1991 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Lives and works in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

EDUCATION

2013 Diploma, Information Communication Technology, SMAP Institute of Training, Asmara, Eritrea

SELECTED SOLO AND DUAL EXHIBITIONS

2019 Untitled , The Gallery, Asmara, Eritrea

2017 The First Amendment , The Gallery, Asmara, Eritrea

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024 Unspoken Wars , AKKA Project Gallery, Venice, Italy

2023 Figure This II, Sarah Kravitz Gallery, London, UK

2023 Figure This , Sarah Kravitz Gallery, London, UK

2022 Fictions Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya

2022 4x4+1 Chilly Art Project Gallery, London, UK

2021 Various Small Fires , Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya

2020 Dispatches from Limbo , Lela Gallery, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2019 Connectivity of the Identity , The Gallery, Asmara, Eritrea

2018 Enhancing the Connectivity , The Gallery, Asmara Eritrea

2018 Women’s Day in Colour , Casa Degli Italian, Asmara, Eritrea

2017 Adventure of Connectivity The Gallery, Asmara, Eritrea

2014 Sketching from Life , The Gallery, Asmara, Eritrea

2014 Our First Step , The Gallery, Asmara, Eritrea RESIDENCY

2023 The Noldor Residency, Accra, Ghana HONOURS AND AWARDS

2013 Won 1st prize at European Union Art Competition, the Professional Category, Asmara, Eritrea

Addis Fine Art is a leading African contemporary art gallery with locations in London and Addis Ababa. The gallery was founded in 2016 by Rakeb Sile and Mesai Haileleul, with a focus on artists from Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa, and its diasporas. Since then, it has championed African artists on the international stage and established itself as a significant voice in the contemporary African art market. It has developed an international programme showcasing mid-career artists through its London gallery space, one of the city's few Black and African-owned art galleries. The gallery's Addis Ababa location has evolved into a regional incubator for undiscovered talent, exhibiting and developing the careers of emerging artists.

Addis Fine Art

21 Eastcastle Street

London W1W 8DD

Credits:

Addis Fine Art

Fine Art

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