Ethiopian artist presents solo exhibition in Beijing

After living in Europe for 13 years, artist Tesfaye Urgessa and his family returned to Ethiopia in 2022, where he was raised. The focus of his work shifted from his personal experiences to a broader engagement with human conditions as he relocated from a foreign land back to his homeland.

Urgessa brings over 60 paintings that he has created since 2019 to his solo exhibition, Primordial Paths, at Beijing's Red Brick Art Museum. Through his works, he revisits themes of immigration, displacement and cultural identity.

While he doesn't rush to provide answers to questions about conflicts, tensions and the dilemma of humanity, he presents the vulnerability and resilience of people as they confront their fate. "Presenting oneself with all weaknesses and all the weight of experiences openly, responsibly, and with confidence, is an act of dignity," he says.

Yan Shijie, director of the Red Brick Art Museum and the exhibition's curator, says Urgessa is a representative force contributing to the increasing global attention to Ethiopian art. He is committed to nurturing the artistic ecosystems at home with the younger generations of Ethiopian artists.