The Africa Institute, in collaboration with the Sharjah Art Foundation and Sharjah Museums Authority, presents the exhibition “Henok Melkamzer: Telsem Symbols and Imagery” at the Sharjah Art Museum in the Arts Area, Al Shuweiheen, from February 24 to June 16, 2024.
Drawing from astrology, religion and spirituality, the Ethiopian art form of telsem interweaves symbols, drawings and texts imbued with spiritual and philosophical significance. Shaped throughout the ages by the sociopolitical and cultural histories of Ethiopia, telsem—with its ancient inspirations and modern idioms—is used to address critical problems in the contemporary world such as climate disasters, war and poverty.
Despite the fact that it continues to be practised, telsem is often characterised as ‘healing art’ or ‘talisman art’ within western frameworks, a perspective that excludes it from many discussions of modernism. The exhibition challenges such a one-dimensional understanding of modernism and offers us a rare insight into one of Ethiopia’s most compelling modernist art practices through the work of Henok Melkamzer.
More than 100 canvases are on view as part of Melkamzer’s largest solo exhibition to date. Audiences can see a wide array of paintings, filled with dense, multicoloured patterns of vines, symbols, words and numbers. These visually stunning combinations are made using acrylic and canvas as well as traditional natural pigments. Henok’s practice provides the public with the opportunity to experience the many manifestations of telsem in current times.
Henok Melkamzer studied telsem in a monastery in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, for 16 years and also learned the intricacies of the practice firsthand from his father and grandfather, who were both telsem healers. Melkamzer maintains an intimate interest in preserving telsem within his community and bringing the art form to new audiences. Melkamzer’s work has been shown in both solo and group exhibitions. His most recent solo exhibition, Men Neber (2018), was presented at the Modern Art Museum in Addis Ababa. A commissioned artist for the Second Lahore Biennial (2020) and a participant in the conference Ethiopia: Modern Nation – Ancient Roots (2022) at The Africa Institute, Sharjah, Melkamzer has received international acclaim as a proponent of telsem and an advocate for his cultural heritage.
How do artistic practices traverse across generations? How do they continue to address critical conditions in our present moment? In the ‘Speaking of Art‘ podcast by Sharjah Art Foundation, Hoor Al Qasimi engages in a conversation with curator Elizabeth Giorgis and artist Henok Melkamzer to explore these questions and more. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Anghami.
Organised by Sharjah Art Foundation, in collaboration with The Africa Institute, Sharjah, and Sharjah Museums Authority, the exhibition is curated by Elizabeth Giorgis, Professor of Art History, Theory and Criticism, The Africa Institute, with Amal Al Ali, Curatorial Assistant of Sharjah Art Foundation.
In the below video, curator and art historian Elizabeth Giorgis tells us about some of the symbols and imagery that appear in Melkamzer’s paintings, such as faces, vines, suns and moons, to gain insight into reading telsem.
The exhibition is open between February 24, 2024 – June 16, 2024 at Sharjah Art Museum, Arts Area, Al Shuweiheen. For more details, click here.
The Africa Institute, in collaboration with the Sharjah Art Foundation and Sharjah Museums Authority, presents the exhibition “Henok Melkamzer: Telsem Symbols and Imagery” at the Sharjah Art Museum in the Arts Area, Al Shuweiheen, from February 24 to June 16, 2024.
The Africa Institute, in collaboration with the Sharjah Art Foundation and Sharjah Museums Authority, presents the exhibition “Henok Melkamzer: Telsem Symbols and Imagery” at the Sharjah Art Museum in the Arts Area, Al Shuweiheen, from February 24 to June 16, 2024.
Drawing from astrology, religion and spirituality, the Ethiopian art form of telsem interweaves symbols, drawings and texts imbued with spiritual and philosophical significance. Shaped throughout the ages by the sociopolitical and cultural histories of Ethiopia, telsem—with its ancient inspirations and modern idioms—is used to address critical problems in the contemporary world such as climate disasters, war and poverty.
Despite the fact that it continues to be practised, telsem is often characterised as ‘healing art’ or ‘talisman art’ within western frameworks, a perspective that excludes it from many discussions of modernism. The exhibition challenges such a one-dimensional understanding of modernism and offers us a rare insight into one of Ethiopia’s most compelling modernist art practices through the work of Henok Melkamzer.
More than 100 canvases are on view as part of Melkamzer’s largest solo exhibition to date. Audiences can see a wide array of paintings, filled with dense, multicoloured patterns of vines, symbols, words and numbers. These visually stunning combinations are made using acrylic and canvas as well as traditional natural pigments. Henok’s practice provides the public with the opportunity to experience the many manifestations of telsem in current times.
Henok Melkamzer studied telsem in a monastery in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, for 16 years and also learned the intricacies of the practice firsthand from his father and grandfather, who were both telsem healers. Melkamzer maintains an intimate interest in preserving telsem within his community and bringing the art form to new audiences. Melkamzer’s work has been shown in both solo and group exhibitions. His most recent solo exhibition, Men Neber (2018), was presented at the Modern Art Museum in Addis Ababa. A commissioned artist for the Second Lahore Biennial (2020) and a participant in the conference Ethiopia: Modern Nation – Ancient Roots (2022) at The Africa Institute, Sharjah, Melkamzer has received international acclaim as a proponent of telsem and an advocate for his cultural heritage.
How do artistic practices traverse across generations? How do they continue to address critical conditions in our present moment? In the ‘Speaking of Art‘ podcast by Sharjah Art Foundation, Hoor Al Qasimi engages in a conversation with curator Elizabeth Giorgis and artist Henok Melkamzer to explore these questions and more. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Anghami.
Organised by Sharjah Art Foundation, in collaboration with The Africa Institute, Sharjah, and Sharjah Museums Authority, the exhibition is curated by Elizabeth Giorgis, Professor of Art History, Theory and Criticism, The Africa Institute, with Amal Al Ali, Curatorial Assistant of Sharjah Art Foundation.
In the below video, curator and art historian Elizabeth Giorgis tells us about some of the symbols and imagery that appear in Melkamzer’s paintings, such as faces, vines, suns and moons, to gain insight into reading telsem.
The exhibition is open between February 24, 2024 – June 16, 2024 at Sharjah Art Museum, Arts Area, Al Shuweiheen. For more details, click here.
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