Tesfaye Urgessa is the First Artist to Represent Ethiopia at the Venice Biennale

Ethiopian artist Tesfaye Urgessa will represent Ethiopia in the 2024 Venice Biennale, a first for the nation. His evocative artistry, themed on vulnerability and exposure, has earned him global acclaim. This will be the first Venice Biennale representation for Ethiopia and is a great milestone into the global artistic setting for both Urgessa and Eathiopia. Urgessa’s artistry is characterised by a unique blend of gestural forms and a vibrant color palette. His works reflect his personal experiences with racism after moving from Ethiopia to Germany. His visual narrative is a compelling exploration of human sensitivity within the confines of the home, encapsulating the intricacies of identity, belonging, and the human condition.

Urgessa’s artistic style is also characterised by a unique fusion of Ethiopian iconography and a deep-seated interest in traditional figurative painting. Through his work, he delves into complex themes surrounding race and identity politics, often depicted within intimate domestic settings. He is widely acclaimed for his evocative paintings featuring human figures within everyday domestic scenes.

Urgessa’s education in fine arts began at the Ale School of Fine Art and Design in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He later moved to Germany to further hone his craft, completing a Master’s program at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart. Urgessa’s journey to international acclaim has been marked by notable exhibitions, including “Tesfaye Urgessa in Miami” with Saatchi Yates during Miami Art Week 2022, and “No Country for Young Men” at Addis Fine Art in Addis Ababa in 2019. His artistic prowess was recognised in The Artsy Vanguard 2023–2024. Currently residing and working in Nürtingen, Germany, Urgessa continues to weave powerful narratives through his art.

The selection of Urgessa to represent Ethiopia at the Venice Biennale is a significant stride for the country in the global art scene. The exhibition, curated by Lemn Sissay OBE, will be hosted at the historical Palazzo Bolani, further enhancing the prestige of Ethiopia’s first-ever national pavilion at the event. This milestone event amplifies the voices and narratives of Ethiopian artists, thereby enriching the diversity of the global art discourse. The upcoming 60th Venice Biennale, scheduled to run from the 20th of April to the 24th of November 2024, will adopt the theme “Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.” Other African nations such as Benin, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Great Britain, Nigeria, Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, and Tanzania have already announced their intention to showcase African and diasporic perspectives.