Tesfaye Bekele: Moments of Change

Tesfaye Bekele: Moments of Change presents a new body of work by Tesfaye Bekele, an Addis Ababa–based artist whose practice meditates on the subtle and immense forces of nature as reflections of lived experience. Working primarily in acrylic paint on canvas and textiles, Bekele uses repeated dots, layered lines, and shifting color fields to evoke landscapes that resemble aerial maps, constellations, or fields in motion. These compositions resist fixed perspective, instead suggesting time as something felt physically rather than measured linearly. Central to the exhibition is Bekele’s use of seasonal change as metaphor. Shifts in weather parallel the realities of bodily limitation, endurance, and care that shape human experience. Grass, flowers, and leaves are rendered not only visually but sensorially, recalling smell, touch, and movement. The incorporation of fabric is especially significant, directly referencing the body’s vulnerability and the labor required to sustain it, while also emphasizing softness, wear, and resilience. Presented by Addis Fine Art, Moments of Change situates Bekele’s work within broader conversations around abstraction, ecology, and embodiment. Bekele, who was born in 1982 and educated at Addis Ababa University’s Alle School of Fine Arts and Design, currently teaches at the School of Fine Arts. His work has been exhibited internationally across Ethiopia, Kenya, Japan, and Germany. The exhibition runs through February 20, 2026, at Addis Fine Art, NOAH Centrum Building, Bole Atlas, Addis Ababa.