Exhibition explores themes of childhood and love

An exhibition featuring the work of an Ethiopian artist Workneh Bezu is on display at the Alliance Ethio-Française starting from 15 February.
Entitled “I did what I think”, the main subject of the exhibition is people and landscapes, much of whcih were conveyed with compassion and honesty.Love, childhood, innocence, healing, temptation are the core themes interwoven throughout the work of the young artist.

Born on March 21, 1981 in Addis Abeba, Workneh has showed an interest in art since childhood. He has studied at the Addis Abeba University School of Fine Arts and Design and graduated in 2001.

Mostly done in oils and pastels, the artist’s works are filled with color and are noted for their unique approach to light. It is precisely this fusion of color, spontaneity and representation that has produced such a rich and expressive body of work.
The forms, which create visual illusions and combines pictorial landscape and abstraction, established Workneh’s reputation as a unique artist. Among the most popular pieces with visitors to the exhibition are a man and a woman sitting in bed, in flirty gesture, and the woman feeding the man a fruit, a work that reminds the biblical scene of Garden of Eden.

The implied loss of innocence and discovery of knowledge and truth are the themes expressed in Workneh’s manifesto distributed at the exhibition.
“This is about a small light smaller than needles eye, but intense full of knowledge equivalent to truth. I believe this fraction of light over powers full darkens and wins” the manifesto reads.
“Beyond impossibilities outside of this knowledge full of light in and out, nothing is possibly visible nor melody to sound a rhythm of music. However, this small light makes things happier, color harmonize to even more beauty, even noise harmonized to greatness. Maybe we all know this small light as a child, when everything was nothing but great certainty we want this unforgettable innocent knowledge to come once again. The light is pure, truthful and innocent yet its warmth is beyond horizon and unlimited. This is my small light widening each second, full of innocence happiness the one which makes my life true love. I live in love, I love my life and I paint what I love” it reads.