ZELALEM MERGA, 1989, ADDIS ABABA
About:
Zelalem Merga was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 21st of Feb, 1989. Graduated in 2013 with a BFA from Addis Ababa University Alle School of Fine Arts and Design (Graphics Department).
The saxophonist, 2015.
My work focuses primarily on portraits created by assembling found objects, disposable goods, and the leftover trash of things we consume in our society. I give the bite of junk to a canvas, which forms the image of portrait. The result is stunningly realistic portrait at a distance and an interesting array of objects up close. I am interested in communication through visual representation in apparent two dimensional spaces and also communicating through the actual objects used for the medium in three dimensional spaces. It is very important to me that I incorporate the actual objects in to the art as opposed to picture or rendition of it because it better expresses the intention of the art work. I feel the junk is more powerful being present it is an actual thing to be reckoned with that existed in this time and place and carries energy in and itself. The result is a time capsule of objects that reflects our culture my assemblage art works have continued to encapsulate cultural change. For example, grey film canister tops used in my early junk portraits are very rare now as our society has moved to digital cameras. An phone used as shading on a cheek looks desired one year and archaic the next as society technology, consumable continue to change.
Artificial, 2015.
The ethnomusicologist, 2014.
Yetezetaw Negus, 2015.
I started making assemblage art so fell in love with stunning art made from old cassette tapes. Most of my pieces become portraits of iconic figures. I usually just take things a part and re-arrange them, cutting away pieces when necessary. A lot of my art is made with old cassette covers, cassette ribbons, mobile covers, watches and buttons etc. Inspired by some strange ideas. The single cassette tape I thought of as representing the mind .The cassette ribbon represent our thoughts, the data within .Taking those data – bits of memory – and re – arrange them to form what we see as a face. I am going to work every day surrounded by music. (text the artist)