Ephrem Solomon Fine Artist Portfolio

Ephrem Solomon (1985) -- Fine Art

Artist Profile

Fine Artist Ephrem Solomon

Ephrem Solomon Tegegn

I was born in Addis Ababa in 1985. I finished high school and went to art school in search of my childhood interest in art. I graduated in graphics art school.

I am inspired by sociopolitical feelings concerning human and natural life, or generally I believe any life composed of two colors that are black and white. Sometimes I paint on themes that reflect my personal life experiences, things that happened to me in the past and my future vision. Painting to me is like writing in my diary.

Sometimes I paint on themes that reflects my personal life experiences, things that happened to me in the past and my future vision. I have often felt torn between what feels like a number of driving personalities. Although my work could almost always be described as objective or realistic, my aims never stay fixed to any particular point on a broad spectrum of intent.

Sometimes I feel a strong need to make paintings that are unapologetically descriptive of what is immediately around me: Views of the city, the people I know, familiar hallways and spaces, or elements of nature that appeal to me.

Other times, my work depicts a different kind of reality; one that is highly fictitious and free of the limitations of the ‘truthful’ recording of my own experiences. In these paintings, motivations might come from outside my surroundings. People, places, and objects, becoming reflect deeper political and personal narratives.

Common to the various types of work I engage in, is a deep commitment to the traditions of descriptive painting. In a world where newness has become a value in and of itself, I am more moved by the compliment that what I am doing technically feels like something from the past, while embodying something that is currently relevant.

I choose black and white colors to describe some idea of life. I use a chair to express about the past, present & future… Now I am a full time studio artist.

Exhibitions

2010: Group Exhibition 2nd International Biennial of painters and sculptors (Croatia)

2009: Group Exhibition at Entoto TVET College

2007: Fine-art workshop Entoto TVET College

2006: Group Exhibition at Nairobi Goethe-institute

2006: Group Exhibition at Nairobi Alliance Francaise

2004: Group Exhibition at Addis Ababa city hale

2002: Group Exhibition at Russian center for science & culture

Workshops

2011: Wasanii Interantional Workshop ( Nairobi) 2011. FANA WOGI

2011: Modern Art Museum/ Gebre Kirstos Desta Center Addis Ababa University

2011: The United States of America embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Four Freedoms Art competition)