Ethiopian artist MERON ENGIDA’s debut U.S. solo exhibition “Solidarity” at Morton Fine Art in DC

 

 

Virtual tour and artist talk of MERON ENGIDA’s debut U.S. solo exhibition, Solidarity. Launching on Morton Fine Art’s YouTube channel.  Contact the gallery for private viewing appointments, price list and acquisition. Visit our Website  ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ MERON ENGIDA’s solo exhibition Solidarity and artist talk at Morton Fine Art, Washington, DC. Video credit: Jarrett Hendriix Solidarity A solo exhibition of paintings by MERON ENGIDA September 22nd – October 28th, 2020 VIRTUAL TOUR and ARTIST TALK On Morton Fine Art’s YouTube Channel TODAY Contact the gallery for private viewing appointment, price list, additional information and acquisition. (202) 628-2787 (call or text) mortonfineart@gmail.com (email) Available artwork by MERON ENGIDA MERON ENGIDA, Solidarity 3, 2020, 33″x35.5″, acrylic on canvas About Solidarity My art has been my language to express myself and my voice. My work explores personal experiences and my Ethiopian cultural heritage. Oftentimes my subject matter reflects my life as a mother in a multiracial family. My figures are diverse and often huddled together, with wide eyes. Children and lambs are the visual vocabulary I use to express innocence and forgiveness. I intend to create dialogue about diversity and women – for example, a face with open mouth represents women freely exploring and expressing themselves. Women also hold in more pain than they let out and hold each other demonstrating resilience. My most recent series addresses challenges of race and identity. One painting depicts figures from all of the Ethiopian tribes together, celebrating each other’s uniqueness. My inner feelings and values call for the love, embrace and celebration of humanity, transcending past and present, despite our differences. – MERON ENGIDA, 2020 MERON ENGIDA, See the Love, 2020 36″x36″, acrylic on canvas MERON ENGIDA, Solidarity 11, 2020, 36″x36″, acrylic on canvas About MERON ENGIDA Born in Ethiopia, MERON ENGIDA received her degree from Addis Ababa University School of Fine Arts and Design in 2007. She has exhibited her paintings extensively in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia including at the National Art Gallery. Solidarity marks her inaugural U.S. solo exhibition at Morton Fine Art in Washington, DC. She notes, “When I start a painting, there are no rules. Sometimes I work from pictures but most of the time I create from imagination. Sometimes I start with a drawing and other times with acrylic paint on canvas which I layer with tones, symbols, and a motif. The figures emerge with expressive features, emotions, and texture. I work on the paintings with trusting mark-making, not knowing where I’m going. My creative process continues until I am surprised and content and then I revisit later to see if it is indeed finished.” She is represented by Morton Fine Art in Washington, DC. MERON ENGIDA, Solidarity 5, 2020, 30.5″x76.5″, acrylic on canvas MERON ENGIDA, Solidarity 9, 2020, 33.5″x32″, acrylic on canvas Available artwork by MERON ENGIDA About Morton Fine Art Founded in 2010 in Washington, DC by curator Amy Morton, Morton Fine Art (MFA) is a fine art gallery and curatorial group that collaborates with art collectors and visual artists to inspire fresh ways of acquiring contemporary art. Firmly committed to the belief that art collecting can be cultivated through an educational stance, MFA’s mission is to provide accessibility to museum-quality contemporary art through a combination of substantive exhibitions and a welcoming platform for dialogue and exchange of original voice. Morton Fine Art specializes in a stellar roster of nationally and internationally renowned artists as well as has an additional focus on artwork of the African Diaspora. Morton Fine Art 52 O St NW #302 Washington, DC 20001 COVID-19 protocol: By appointment. Mask required. Contact the gallery for supplementary artwork documentation such as detail images and short videos. Safe, no contact door to door delivery available. Shipping nationally and internationally.

Morton Fine Art | 52 O St NW #302, Washington, DC 20001 www.mortonfineart.com

American Lifestyle Magazine features artist MAYA FREELON ASANTE

‘Bleeding Art’ an interview with Maya Freelon Asante written by Shelley Rose featured in American Lifestyle Magazine Issue 87, 2018.

‘Visionary and artist Maya Freelon Asante discovered her preferred medium by happenstance.   While living with her grandmother during art school, she found water-damaged tissue paper in the basement and became fascinated by the bleeding of the color.  This fortuitous accident became her muse, and she has been using tissue paper to create her art ever since.’

“When I create the large tissue quilts, I always ask the community to help in the creation process.  [To me], community means, ‘I am because we are’ Ubuntu.”   ~Maya Freelon Asante

Please contact us here at the gallery by emailing mortonfineart@gmail.com for a PDF readable version of this article as well as additional information and images.  Available artwork by MAYA FREELON ASANTE can be viewed here on our website.

Creating an appreciation for Arts – A Multi-Generational Approach

Creating an appreciation for Arts 

By Martina Dodd

We may not have all grown up around art or been born into a family of artists and creatives like Maya Asante Freelon and William Mackinnon, but that shouldn’t stop us from surrounding our family with paintings, photography and sculpture. Creating an appreciation for the arts at a young age not only improves observation and cognitive skills but can also enhance a child’s understanding of history and culture.  Trips to museums and visits to art galleries with your family can be a rewarding experience for you as well.  A child’s perspective of a piece of art can sometimes be even more inspiring than an art historians!  So let their imagination run free, especially with series drenched in memory, spiritual connects and self-discovery like Kesha Bruce’s “The Guardians” or Maya Freelon Asante’s “Handmade”.

Kesha Bruce, Soliis Journey Home, 48″x48″, mixed media on canvas

 

Maya Freelon Asante, Handmade, 36″x37″, tissue ink monoprint

 

Parents and educators can also use art as a fun and creative teaching platform.  Through Victor Ekpuk’s use of Nsibidi, an indigenous African system of writing, a child can be introduced to cultural traditions and new ways of communication.

Victor Ekpuk, Asian Uboikpa (Hip Sista) Series #11, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 60″x48″

Or they can learn about the brightly colored deep sea animals and florescent habitants which inspired some of Julia Fernandez Pol’s paintings.

Julia Fernandez Pol, Reef Series 8, 23.5″x18.5″, bas-relief hand painted monoprint

 

With the help of Andrei Petrov you can also teach a geography lesson based off of pieces like “Istanbul” and “Swiss Bliss” which loosely resemble European landscapes.

Andrei Petrov, Istanbul, 30″x48″, oil on canvas

 

Andrei Petrov, Swiss Bliss, 42″x42″, oil on canvas

 

 

By instilling an interest, understanding and love for art who knows what the next generation of artists and collectors will create or develop? And maybe during your next visit to Morton Fine Art they can help pick out your newest piece of art work!

Morton Fine Art, 1781 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009

(202) 628-2787, http://www.mortonfineart.com, mortonfineart@gmail.com