Ethiopian contemporary artist Ephrem Solomon was born in 1983 in Addis Ababa. Inspired by social and political issues and with a sensitive eye to human and natural life, Ephrem creates amazing artworks by mixing woodcutting and other media to express his own experiences or a future vision.
We read at his interview with Hip Hop Kambi: “I believe any life composed of two colors that are black and white. Sometimes I paint on themes that reflect on my personal life experiences, things that happened to me in the past and my future vision. Painting to me is like writing 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.”
Visit his portfolio here Ephrem Solomon.