MERON ENGIDA HAWKE | The Washington Post

ART

In the galleries: Artists imagine red in images from brutal to banal

Also: Honoring Japan’s creative culture and craftsmanship, an inventive exhibit allows viewers to be hands-on collaborators and engage with the objects on display, and an artist explores her Ethiopian identity.

Review by Mark Jenkins

May 26, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

Meron Engida Hawke

“Ashenda Girl 3” by Meron Engida Hawke in her exhibit “Hummingbird.” (Meron Engida Hawke and Morton Fine Art)

Painter-collagist Meron Engida Hawke lives in D.C., but her pictures convey viewers to her birthplace, Ethiopia. Rendered in a flat, naive style that emulates her original homeland’s aged murals, the works in Engida Hawke’s Morton Fine Art exhibition portray women, children, animals and a traditional agrarian lifestyle where little things matter. Those include teff, the traditional grain whose individual grains are minuscule, and the tiny creature for which the show is named, “Hummingbird.”

Printed pictures of those birds, invoking a fable about their brave attempt to fight a fire with mere drops of water, are collaged into paintings made with acrylics and oilstick. Also incorporated are yarn, fabric, imitation pearls, rock-patterned wallpaper and — in two small sculptures — teff stalks that mimic human hair. The artist’s fresco-like style is functional yet poetic, much like the activities it is used to depict. Whether the subject is a noble lion, long a symbol of Ethiopia, or a humble gristmill, Engida Hawke’s pictures possess a strong sense of place.

Meron Engida Hawke: Hummingbird Through June 9 at Morton Fine Art, 52 O St. NW, No. 302. By appointment.

Available artwork by MERON ENGIDA HAWKE

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

Studio visit with Ethiopian artist MERON ENGIDA

 

 

Ethiopian artist MERON ENGIDA shares her studio, art practice and inspiration. Contact Morton Fine Art for additional information and acquisition of her incredible paintings.

Morton Fine Art

52 O St NW #302

Washington, DC 20001

(202) 628-2787 (call or text)

mortonfineart@gmail.com

http://www.mortonfineart.com