Experience symbols and imagery in Ethiopian Telsem art at Sharjah Art Foundation
Sponsored: For the love of details…
Art lovers, this one’s for you. Sharjah Art Foundation has launched a new solo exhibition by Henok Melkamzer in collaboration with The Africa Institute, Global Studies University (GSU), and Sharjah Museums Authority.
The exhibition, the artist’s largest presentation to date, focuses on Ethiopian telsem art.
Above: Henok Melkamzer, various works, 2023 | Sharjah Art Foundation/Shafeek Nalakath Kareem
What is telsem art? It is an Ethiopian art form that interweaves symbols, drawings and texts with spiritual and philosophical significance.
Melkamzer’s art exhibition brings together over 100 works giving art gazers a rare look at the distinctive and highly intricate art form. His practice expands the use of the form, combining both ancient inspirations and modern idioms to unravel the complex ailments of the contemporary world including climate disasters, war and poverty.
Above: Henok Melkamzer, various works, 2023 | Sharjah Art Foundation/Shafeek Nalakath Kareem
Expect a wide array of paintings on canvas made using traditional pigment, as well as unconventional acrylic. The highly decorative and visually complex works are filled with dense, multicoloured patterns of vines, symbols, words and numbers, all of which demonstrate the beauty and vitality of telsem today.
You can view the exhibition at Sharjah Art Museum until June 16, 2024. Read more here.
What else can you see at Sharjah Art Foundation?
Head over to view the works of art by more than 60 artists at In the eyes of our present, we hear Palestine exhibition. Held at Old Al Dhaid Clinic and Arts Palace (Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Palace) in Al Dhaid, the exhibition is by artists from Palestine and neighbouring countries.
You can also visit the landmark exhibition Casablanca Art School: Platforms and Patterns for a Postcolonial Avant-Garde (1962–1987) featuring artworks by artist-activists from across generations, and at Al Mureijah Art Spaces, you can view Lala Rukh: In the Round.
Find out more about all these exhibitions here.
Featured image: Henok Melkamzer, various works, 2023 | Sharjah Art Foundation/Shafeek Nalakath Kareem
