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Lot Essay
Dawit Abebe’s work addresses technology, urbanisation and the trappings of the modern world and their unpredictable impacts upon society. The work interrogates whether the influx of new technologies do in fact signify progress. Through his paintings, the universe Abebe portrays is both dystopian and allegorical.
Abebe addresses the global concerns of urban societies as well as the proliferation of social media. He states ‘how can you fall in love with someone that you have never met before in real life? And why are people so obsessed with cameras?’ (R. van Deursen, Dawit Abebe - A look at the other side, Urban Africans, 2014).
In Wokt (Chair and Microphones) we see an empty chair confronted with an array of different microphones, various sheets with disordered numbers spread before them. The background is also made up from newspaper cuttings. The ambiguous work seems to allude to a chaotic and disparate range of perspectives, opinions and complexities.
Wokt No. 3 (Waving Chairs) shows various figures hoisting chairs above their heads in a procession. The figures appear to be buckling and staggering under the weight of these empty chairs. The figures appear as if they are heading toward a dark and uncertain future.
Dawit Abebe lives and works in Addis Ababa. He founded the Habesha Art Studio in 2001 where he continues to be a full-time artist in residence. His work is held in the Barjeel Art Foundation, the Rema Hort Mann Foundation, the Frank Cohen Collection and the Saatchi Gallery Collection. He is represented by Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London.
Abebe addresses the global concerns of urban societies as well as the proliferation of social media. He states ‘how can you fall in love with someone that you have never met before in real life? And why are people so obsessed with cameras?’ (R. van Deursen, Dawit Abebe - A look at the other side, Urban Africans, 2014).
In Wokt (Chair and Microphones) we see an empty chair confronted with an array of different microphones, various sheets with disordered numbers spread before them. The background is also made up from newspaper cuttings. The ambiguous work seems to allude to a chaotic and disparate range of perspectives, opinions and complexities.
Wokt No. 3 (Waving Chairs) shows various figures hoisting chairs above their heads in a procession. The figures appear to be buckling and staggering under the weight of these empty chairs. The figures appear as if they are heading toward a dark and uncertain future.
Dawit Abebe lives and works in Addis Ababa. He founded the Habesha Art Studio in 2001 where he continues to be a full-time artist in residence. His work is held in the Barjeel Art Foundation, the Rema Hort Mann Foundation, the Frank Cohen Collection and the Saatchi Gallery Collection. He is represented by Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London.