Tesfaye Urgessa
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Tesfaye Urgessa | |
|---|---|
ተስፋዬ ገለታ ኡርጌሳ | |
| Born | 1983 (age 41–42) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Education | Allé School of Fine Arts and Design, State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart (MA) |
| Occupation | Visual artist |
| Known for | Painting |
Tesfaye Geleta Urgessa (born 1983; Amharic: ተስፋዬ ገለታ ኡርጌሳ) is an Ethiopian-born painter. He is from Addis Ababa, and has been based in Germany since 2009.[1][2]
Tesfaye Urgessa was born in 1983 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.[3] He studied under Mezgebu Tessema, Tadesse Mesfin, and Bisrat Shibabaw in Ethiopia.[1] He graduated from the Allé School of Fine Arts and Design in Addis Ababa in 2006; and received a M.A. degree in 2014 from the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany.[4]
Urgessa was taught by professors who had studied art in Russia in the 1970s and 1980s, when the dominant art movement was socialist realism.[5] Their focus was on the study of anatomy, which influenced Urgessa’s style.[5]
At this time, through internet research, Urgessa's practice was inspired by prominent artists in Europe including Picasso, Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon.[5]
Themes
Tesfaye Urgessa’s images have themes of racism, class, police brutality, injustice in politics and power.[5][better source needed] He combines traditional figuration with Ethiopian iconography, Cubism, and 1980s German Neo-expressionism.[6]
Exhibitions
Urgessa exhibited in "Oltre/Beyond" at The Uffizi Gallerie in Florence in 2018,[2] and again in 2021.[7] The Uffizi also hosts his work in its permanent collection, and "Von Denen Die Auszogen" at State Galerie Villa Streccius, in Landau Germany in 2019.[6]
Urgessa will represent Ethiopia at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2024, the first time that the country will be participating with a national pavilion.[8]
