symbolism – awenewene

Is an Ethiopian artist whose work visually represents the belief of Adbar which refers to the embodiment of protective spirits in the natural landscape. Dessie, north-east Ethiopia is where the artist is from, where Adbar is commonly practiced.

Temesgen works in a symbolic style and typically on a large scale especially in the Adbar collection, with large scrolls being suspended from the ceiling and partially rolled onto the floor recalling Ethiopian healing scrolls.

The artist received his BFA from Addis Ababa and then a MFA in Norway

The first works I saw when I was cruising around on the interweb were works on paper that featured the Surrealist technique decalcomania which I had only previously seen done by English Surrealist artist Ithell Colquhoun.

RobelTemesgenEyeisontheEye-of-the-Beholder

From the Eye is on the Eye of the Beholder series
Source Africanah.org

Robel Temesgen. Adbar I, 2015. Mixed media on paper, — Adbar I

Robel Temesgen. Adbar V, 2015. Mixed media on paper — Adbar V

Image source Artsy

Oh my god, so much of his work in 2016/2017 is so great, a lot with the decalcomania and various pen work; materials e.g. Acrylic, nail paint, enamel paint, ink pen, permanent marker and sticker, stamp, etc

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Frida painting The Two Fridas photograph by Nickolas Muray 1939 — Frida painting ‘The Two Fridas’ photograph by Nickolas Muray 1939

“They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn’t. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.”

“I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.”

self-portrait-along-the-boarder-line-between-mexico-and-the-united-states 1932 — Self-Portrait Along the Border Line Between Mexico and the United States (1932)

“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.”

my-grandparents-my-parents-and-me 1936 — My Grandparents My Parents and Me (1936)

self-portrait-as-a-tehuana 1943 — Self-Portrait as a Tehuana (1943)

“They are so damn ‘intellectual’ and rotten that I can’t stand them anymore….I [would] rather sit on the floor in the market of Toluca and sell tortillas, than have anything to do with those ‘artistic’ bitches of Paris.”

nude of eva frederick drawing frida khalo — Nude of Eva Frederick

“You deserve the best, the very best, because you are one of the few people in this lousy world who are honest to themselves, and that is the only thing that really counts.”

the abortion drawing frida khalo — The Abortion

“At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.”

Paintings, drawings, and quotes by Frida Kahlo. Images sources fridakhalo.org