Tegene Kunbi: Tessellations through times
Galerie Dutko is pleased to present the work of Ethiopian artist Tegene Kunbi from November 4 to 25, 2023. Following his residency at Galerie DUTKO / Ile Saint-Louis, this first solo-show in France, entitled "Tessellations through time" will be an opportunity to discover the chromatic power of his painting through some fifteen recent works.
"Color is a vocabulary I use to express aspects of my cultural legacy. Each hue is a conversation with the next, producing a sense of harmony and tension," explains Tegene Kunbi. The artist uses color not only as an instrument, but also as a language, central to his artistic vision.
For Tegene Kunbi, painting is at once a sacred ritual, a chromatic communion and a quest for spirituality. Created between 2022 and 2023, this new series of canvases is characterized by the permanence of a strong geometric framework, delimiting registers of intense, thickly applied colors. Hues, shapes and textures interact with each other, dialoguing organically and telling cross-cultural stories that explore questions of legacy and cultural identity, as well as spirituality.
Driven by a deep interest in landscapes and the dynamic interactions between color and form, Tegene Kunbi focuses on the continuous exploration of chromatic changes taking place through the pictorial layers worked day after day. He seeks harmony between all these elements. His artistic process focuses on the superposition of thick layers of oil paint, acrylic, pastel and sometimes even textiles, using palette knives, brushes and hand. Thus creating highly textured surfaces.
The challenges of his daily practice ultimately result in complex mental maps that capture the essence of places, people and moments. Through this exhibition, Tegene Kunbi invites us to dive deeper into the heart of his art, where every nuance carries a story, cross-cultural narratives echoing Ethiopia's rich legacy.
