1-54 New York

6 - 23 May 2021

1 – 54 New York
Dawit Abebe, Wendimagegn Belete, Gerald Chukwuma, Kelechi Nwaneri
Dawit Abebe

Dawit Abebe, (B.1978), graduated from the Alle School of Fine Art and Design, part of Addis Ababa University with a diploma in painting, sculpture, graphics, photography and industrial design in 2001. His work relies on vibrant, lively colours, which at times contradict the dark subject matter, addressing contemporary concerns about the environment, such as high-tech urbanisation and human idea of progress. In 2001, he founded the Habesha Art Studio in his native Ethiopia, where he continues to be a full-time artist-in-residence. In addition to numerous successful international exhibitions across Africa, Europe and the Middle East, Abebe has also worked with charities such as UNICEF to hold workshops for street children in Arba Minch, Jinka and Addis Ababa.
- Solo exhibitions include Long Hands, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery Berlin (2021), EDIT, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2020); Mutual Identity, Addis Fine Art Gallery, Addis Ababa (2018); Liminal in the age of Mobile-ty, 68 Projects, Berlin (2018); “Quo Vadis?”, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2017); Background 2, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2015); Background 1, Lela Gallery, Addis Ababa (2014) and X Privacy, Alliance Ethio-Française, Addis Ababa (2012).
- Group exhibitions include Devil‘s in the detail, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2020); Karachi Biennial (2019); 1:54 Contemporary African Arts Fair, London (2019); Kubatana,Vestfossen Kunskaboratorium, Norway (2019); 1:54 Contemporary African Arts Fair, London (2018); Imago Mundi, Trieste, at Salone degli Incanti, Italy (2018); VOLTA13, Markthalle, Basel (2017); Everything Exists Now, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2017); Art Dubai, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Dubai (2017); What about Africa?, Witteveen Visual Art Centre, Amsterdam (2016); Pangaea II: New Art from Africa and Latin America, Saatchi Gallery, London (2015); Concerning The Internal at Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi (2015); Visibles/Invisibles, Fondation Blachere, Apt (2015); the display of the Habesha Art Collection at the National Museum in Addis Ababa (2014), and the touring exhibition Silver Sea Cross-Ship (2013-14).
- Highlights and Collections
  
  In 2019 Dawit Abebe was picked by Artnet as one of the two most important artists working out of Ethiopia today. In 2017 he was named “Chevalier of Frances Order of Arts and Letters”. Abebe’s work is held in international private and public collections, including the Barjeel Art Foundation (UAE), the Rema Hort Mann Foundation (US), the Frank Cohen Collection (UK), the Carole Server and Oliver Frankel Collection (US), The Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection (US), Ilham Collection (Malaysia) and the Saatchi Gallery Collection (UK).
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Wendimagegn Belete

Wendimagegn Belete (B.1986, Ethiopia) currently lives and works between Ethiopia and Norway. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at the AAU Alle School of Fine Arts and Design, ET in 2012. He then continued his studies with a MA in Contemporary Art at the Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art and Creative Writing, Norway graduating in 2017. Belete’s work is greatly informed by Ethiopian narratives, identity, and history, and contains an encyclopaedic range of information taken from archival photos, texts, stories, video frames, and his own experiences and visual documentation. With an interest in epigenetic inheritance; the idea of a memory that transfers through generations, he encourages us to consider both our cultural and personal identities as an accumulation of past experiences, events, and decisions that continue to pervade and define the present.
- Solo exhibitions include (Upcoming); Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2021); (Upcoming) iodeposito, Traveso, Italy (2021); (Upcoming) Tenthaus Oslo, NO (2021); (Upcoming) Small projects, Tromso, NO (2021); ‘National Museum, Addis Ababa, ET (2020); LNM Gallery/NO (2020); Oppland Kunstsenter, (2020); Moment 2.0’, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Nevlunghavn, Norway (2020); Revenant, Fotografiens Hus, NO (2019); ‘Moment’, ‘Andafta’, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2019); Frozen Memories, Østfold Kunstsenter, Fredrikstad/ NO (2018); “Are We There Yet?”, GALLERY SNERK, Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art, NO (2017); ‘UNVEIL’, Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art, NO (2016); NOSTALGIA, LeLa contemporary Art Gallery, Addis Ababa, ET (2015).
- Group exhibitions include The Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2022); the opening exhibition of the National Museum of Norway in Oslo (2022); the 6th edition of the Future Generation Art Prize, PinkchukArt-Centre, Kiev, Ukraine (2021); Sandefjord Kunstforenings Kunstpris, Norway (2021); The 5th Biennale Internationale de Casablanca, Morocco (2021); Flag Tromsø, Tromso kunstforening, Norway (2020); Oslo Kunstforening and Sparebankstiftelsen DNB exhibition, Norway (2019); YPN Digital Africa (Casablanca) 5th Biennale Internationale de Casablanca, MAR (2019); B#Side War festival, group exhibition in Venice/Treviso -IT (2019); Altering the past, FUSHION , at Youngs Oslo, NO (2019); Exhibition in Rådhusatelierene, No (2019); This man is your friend, RAM Gallery, NO (2019); Digital Africa Cameroonian photography and video art, Cameron (2019); Et maleri er et dik tuten ord, Akershus kunstsenter, NO (2019); LNM’s 50th anniversary, kunstnerneshus, NO (2018); Høstutstillingen/the autumn exhibition, kunstnerneshus, NO (2018); Young Invited, Gallery, LNM, NO (2018); The Process– Space, festival and exhibition, Russe, Bulgaria (2018); and Lofoten International Art Festival (LIAF), Mondo, Represent Mondo, NO (2017).
- Highlights and Collections
  
  Belete has been shortlisted for the 6th edition of the Future Generation Art Prize. His work is held in prominent private and public collections such as Easton Capital/John Friedman Collection (USA); Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection (USA); Collection africanartfirst (Israel), Oslo municipality’s art Collection (Norway), The Holbar Collection (Liechtenstein) and The Norwegian Parliament Collection (Norway).
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- Wendimagegn Belete, Moment (34), 2020
- Wendimagegn Belete, Moment (35), 2020
Gerald Chukwuma

Gerald Chukwuma (b. 1973) lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria. He graduated in 2003 with First Class Honours from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Chukwuma is one of Nigeria's fastest rising contemporary artists, noted for his intricately crafted sculptures on wood panels. The materials he chooses are common enough; however, using in his unique way a range of techniques — including burning, chiselling and painting — he captures a richly layered history that is imbedded with personal and political meaning. The use of traditional Uli and Nsibidi symbols links his work to the Nsukka art tradition which is credited with expanding and modernising the Igbo cultural aesthetic. Meanwhile, the transformation of found objects into highly detailed artworks roots him firmly in the contemporary moment, with its concern for rapid environmental and ecological change.
- Solo Exhibitions include Eclipse of the Scrolls, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery (London Bridge), London (2021); IKWOKIRIKWO: THE DANCE OF SPIRITS, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin (2020); Wrinkles, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2019); Standing Ovation, Gallery 1957, Accra (2017); People’s Paradise, Temple Muse, Lagos (2016); Soaking Up Beauty, Constant Capital, Lagos (2014) and Highlife II, Ethnocentrique, Lagos (2013).
- Group exhibitions include 1-54 London with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery (2019); Kubatana, curated by Kristin Hjellegjerde, Vesfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Norway (2019); A Journey into Contemporary African Art, Belvedere Art Space, Beirut, Lebanon (2010); Art X Lagos, Civic Center Lagos (2018); The Art Story, Cartool Art Gallery, UAE (2018); Essentials, Alexis Galleries, Lagos (2015); The Contemporaries, The Wheatbeaker, Lagos (2015); Today In History, Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Abuja (2015); Music Lesson, Alexis Gallery, Lagos (2012); Highlife I, Exhibition of Designs and Art, Ethnocentrique, Lagos (2011); Heden Daagse Afrikaanse Kunst, Amsterdam (2010); Pachakucha: Inspire Japan, Terra Kulture, Lagos (2009); Reclaiming Africa, Goethe-Institute, Lagos (2009); In Pursuit of Knowledge, Civic Centre, Lagos (2009); Africa Now, The World Bank, Washington, D.C (2009); Moderne Afrikansu Kunst, Danish Center for Culture and Development, Copenhagen (2009); Mouling Matter, Pan African University, Lagos (2008); and The Unbreakable Nigerian Spirit, Galarie 23, Amsterdam (2008).
- Highlights and Collections
  
  Chukwuma's work belongs to prominent collections such as of Beth Rudin de Woody, USA; The Hague, Netherland; Easton Capital/ John Friedman Collection; Pan African University Lagos; Seth Dei Foundation, Accra; University of Nigeria Nsukka; The World Bank Collection, Washington D.C; Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) Nigeria; Hearst Corporation and Museum Azman, Kuala Lumpur.
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- Gerald Chukwuma, OGBUNIGWE, 2021
Kelechi Nwaneri

Kelechi Charles Nwaneri (b.1994, Nigeria) is a self-taught mixed-media artist. He currently lives and works in Lagos state, Nigeria. Nwaneri obtained his Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Extension from the University of Nigeria in 2015. Kelechi Nwaneri focuses on discussing issues around mental health, psychology and social values with his work. Inspired by the events happening in his environment, he creates art with surrealistic imagery that is often allegorical, but is based on real experiences. The use of indigenous symbols (including mainly Adinkra, Uli, Nsibidi) and sometimes foreign symbols, mystical, metaphysical and allegorical imagery are major characteristics of his style of work.
- Solo exhibitions include the Myths at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin (2021) and Modern Marks at Ebony Curated, Cape Town, South Africa (2020).
  
  Group exhibitions include All the Days and Nights, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2020), STASIS, SMO Contemporary Art Gallery, Temple Muse, Victoria Island Lagos, Nigeria (2019), SECRET GARDEN, ODA gallery, Fransccheok, Western Cape, South Africa (2019), Ode to mankind, Artyrama Gallery, CFAO building, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria (2018), Spanish Festivals and traditional celebrations, Thought Pyramids Gallery, Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria (2018).
- Highlights and Collections
  
  In 2020, Nwaneri participated in artist residency for AKKA Project in Venice, Italy. Kelechi was also a winner of the annual “Visual Art competition 2018” organised by the Spanish embassy in Abuja, Nigeria. His work is held in the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection (USA), Susan Goodman Collection (USA), Arthur Lewis Collection (USA), Africa First Collection, Tel Aviv, (Israel ); Easton Capital Collection (USA); Embassy of Spain Abuja, (Nigeria).
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1-54 New York

1 – 54 New York

Dawit Abebe

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Wendimagegn Belete

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Gerald Chukwuma

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Kelechi Nwaneri

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