Prince Merid Tafesse, self-titled mixed media exhibition opens on Friday May 20th at the artist’s owned Moa Anbessa Art Studio Gallery in Kazanches. Called the King of Charcoal in Ethiopia, for his masterful use of the medium, the Ethiopian contemporary fine artist shares powerful and provocative subjects and themes through countless shades of grey executed through swift and sinuous lines. The soft-spoken committed dread-lock genius says, “My passion for charcoal allows me to catch the thoughts passing through my mind before they drift away.” His visual narratives are equally expressed through fresh free brush strokes, testament to talent and expertise derived from his education at Addis Ababa University Alle School of Fine Art & Design where he specialized in painting, graduating in 1998. Prince Merid’s photographic memory facilitates the creation of impeccable model-less portraits, figures -spaces and places, an affront to stereotypical notions of art from Africa.
A 5th generation descendant of the Imperial Ethiopian Family, his mother was direct descendant of King Sahle Selassie; and an artist in her own right. His father, a well-travelled banker, introduced their only son to a wide array of literature and art collected during his journeys abroad. ”Identity and heritage matters, especially in light of the negative stories about Ethiopia and Africa in general…my history is not a myth and neither am I. ”laughs Prince Merid. Influenced heavily by H.I.M.Emperor Haile Selassie I’s works and speeches, Bob Marley’s music, Kahlil Gibran and Oscar Wilde’s prose, his artistic vocabulary and well-known style has landed him numerous exhibitions, residencies and commissions. Jerusalem, 1999; Three Generations, Sheraton Addis, 2002; Selected Drawings, Group Show, Paris, ‘04; Johannesburg’s Greatmore Art Residency, ’08; Dubai’s Al Bastakiya Art Fair, 2010; 11/4/08 Group Show, Damon Dash DD172, NYC; 2010; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center, Atlanta, 2011; and Art of Black during Art Basel, 2011 are just a few. His public commissions include the Coca Cola street art project and monumental paintings at the Red Terror Martyr’s Museum. His self-titled show features works exhibited in 2021 at University of Florida Harn Museum of Art’s Museum Nights as well as new pieces created after returning home to Addis, following 6 months residency and exhibitions. He quotes the old saying, “To whom much is given much is required.” As owner of his home and studio, realizing the lack of space for artists, he decided to open his studio, dubbed Moa Anbessa, to exhibit other artists in the unique space in the center of the city. He says, “I draw inspiration from Ethiopia, Africa the entire universe, where ever I may be, then I create…art opens eyes and heals.” For more info google Moa Anbessa Art Studio Gallery.