›Colours of Utopia‹ 08/09/2023—26/01/2024

• Girmachew Getnet

Frankfurt 08/09/2023—26/01/2024

The Lachenmann Art Gallery is pleased to announce the new collaboration with the Ethiopian artist Girmachew Getnet as part of the exhibition.

Getnet works primarily on large-format canvases. In his paintings and drawings, he explosively combines human figures and colors in impressive compositions on the surface of the untreated, rough linen.

He draws his inspiration from the interaction of man with nature and the universe, while his creativity is fed by curiosity about reality and the exploration of the unknown. The focus of his works is always the heads of the figures depicted, which are either clearly self-portraits or representations of different characters of the self. Swirls of strong, bright colors radiate from them into the picture space, reminiscent of a halo. The intensity of the individual colors is enhanced by the precision of each expressive brushstroke, each explicitly positioned and yet at the same time free in its individual gesture.

For Girmachew Getnet, the act of painting is part of a profound and liberating experience of self-discovery. If this culminates in a confrontation with one's own self, he depicts this inner dialogue with a double portrait that faces oneself.

Strong figures and metaphorical elements lead the viewer on this inner journey, in which references to the art of the African continent, its colors and its culture go hand in hand with an imaginary journey into the soul of the artist and the power of creativity.

Girmachew Getnet (born 1980 in Ethiopia) graduated from the Addis Ababa Fine Arts and Design School in 2001. Shortly thereafter, he founded the first art studio in the Ethiopian capital, the Habesha Art Studio. He lives and works in Frankfurt.

Installation views: Credits Lachenmann Art

Artist Portraits: Credits Daniel Beyer