Interior landscapes

The first institutional solo exhibition by Ethiopian artist Robel Temesgen in Norway is a continuation of the artist’s deep rooted connection to Tromsø and its art scene, of his solo exhibitions at Kurant (2015), Small Projects (2016) as well as his 2017 collaboration with Mondo Books. As in his earlier exhibitions Interior landscapes preoccupies itself with present day Ethiopia.

Temesgen’s project is inspired by and interested in traditional belief systems, related rituals, and how this influences today's land use. In Interior landscapes he has transformed this into paintings, clay sculptures and hand written publications.

Not far from Dessie, North-East Ethiopia, where Temesgen grew up, there is a rock. As a kid he was explained how the rock is a wedding party that turned into rock. This was a place for rituals and they are still happening, but in the current day’s political landscape this happens only by night. Incense are burned, offerings of food happens – one can only see the reminiscences of the rituals, never the rituals themselves. It is considered a sacred place. When construction happens nearby, and material like rock and sand are being sourced, this rock is never touched. The builders leave the place as it is.

Like in his earlier exhibitions in Tromsø, Temesgen shows large scale abstract landscape paintings. His current series brings, via further abstraction, the metaphysical aspect of subject/object to the foreground. The Jebena series is inspired by the ritual and culture of drinking coffee together. Something the artist has dwelled upon, for some years now, is the shape and the look of the clay coffee pots (called jebena) found in many social gatherings. The visual, and poetic, study of these continues in Interior landscapes.

አዲስ ጋዜጣ, Addis Newspaper, is a long term publication project that Temesgen started in 2014, while studying in Tromsø. It is a handwritten publication in the shape of a newspaper in the artist’s first language, Amharic. The newspaper is a reaction and a reflection upon the lack of reliable information on what is going on in Ethiopia. At the same time the project questions the format of time sensitive printed media and its value.

Through the paintings, clay, and publication, the body of works are, both, testimonies and remarks on the denominators of relations and relatedness, both, from human and more-than human entities perspectives. One could claim that the exhibition, which consists of new, never before shown works, pays tribute to landscapes that exist beyond their physical present, something Temesgen relates to as the spirituality of the place. The spiritual aspects of a landscape forms a language that protects both itself and those who interact with it. These engagements can be something that happens only once, or they may reoccur, they could be something singular, intimate, or a gathering.

Born in 1987 in Ethiopia, Robel Temesgen is currently a Ph.D. fellow in Artistic Practice at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts in Oslo. He received an MFA from Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art, University of Tromsø, and a BFA from Alle School of Fine Arts and Design, Addis Ababa University. Forthcoming solo exhibitions include Kunsthalle Lingen (2022) and Kunsthall Oslo (2023).

Temesgen’s work has been widely exhibited internationally. Solo shows include Kurant, Small Projects and Mondo, (all in Tromsø), Marabuoparken (Stockholm), Tiwani Contemporary (London) and Modern Art Museum GKDC (Addis Abeba). He has participated in group exhibitions in institutions such as Laphto Center (Addis Abeba), National Museum of Ethiopia (Addis Abeba), Tegnerforbundet (Oslo), Akademie Der Kunste (Berlin), Oslo Kunsthall, Addis Abeba Museum, ARoS Art Museum (Aarhus) and Para Site (Hong Kong).

The exhibition is curated for Tromsø Kunstforening by Leif Magne Tangen.