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In times of daily challenges, Natnael Ashebir emphasizes our multidimensional nature. Our existence spans the past, present, and future, and we navigate through all these dimensions. Garden Spices is honored to present Layers of Life. Gate open. - Victorine
Art Statement
Layers of Life
Layers of Life is a painting series that explores how urbanization reshapes place, identity, memory, and collective experience. As the spaces transform, they evoke memories, symbols of absence, nostalgia, and the passage of time.
The paintings depict figures in sculptural poses and altered stillness, combined with geometric abstraction and vibrant color, to embody resilience and the dynamic shifts of urban life. These abstract elements reflect the complexities of urban life in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The series creates a space through abstraction where individuality and universality converge, capturing the complexities of time, change, and experience. Within this space, social, emotional, and political forces are in constant tension, offering a form of resistance that reflects what is lost and what endures. The interplay between absence and presence offers a meditative space, inviting reflection on human existence's fragile, ever-shifting fabric. - Natnael Ashebir
NATNAEL ASHEBIR
Biography
Natnael Ashebir (b. 1995, Ethiopia) is a visual artist whose work delves into themes of identity, memory, place, and history. Through painting, photography, and drawing, he explores subjects such as urban displacement, decolonization, resilience, and the intersection of personal and collective identities. Natnael earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the Alle School of Fine Art and Design in 2021 and a diploma from Entoto Polytechnic College in 2016. In 2022, he was awarded second prize at the Emerging Painting Invitational Prize (EPI). Natnael is currently based in Ethiopia.