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until 15.02. | #4542ARTatBerlin | Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery Berlin shows from the 17th January 2024 (Opening: 16.01.) the exhibition “Barefoot – ባዶ እግር” with the artist Dawit Abebe. From January 2025, the gallery will be located in Berlin’s Mercator Höfe (address below).
“Barefoot – ባዶ እግር” presents a dynamic new series of mixed media paintings that continue the artist’s research into how historical events shape cultural, political and social identities. Abebe describes the human form as “an alphabet” that he uses to shape personal and collective narratives.
In these latest works, the body appears at different scales with a contrast between huge painted limbs – disembodied feet that appear like mountain ranges, and legs and torsos that extend beyond the boundaries of the canvas – and tiny silhouettes of cut-out figures from magazines. Carefully positioned objects, many of which are recurring motifs in Abebe’s work, articulate complex ideas around origin and cultural identity. Cameras in various forms – handheld cameras, surveillance cameras or embedded in smartphones – allude to surveillance, vanity and performance.
The current focus on feet and shoes stems from Abebe’s research into key moments in Ethiopian history, such as the battles of Dogali (1887) and Adowa (1896) against the Italian invaders, who were defeated by barefoot Ethiopian soldiers. Later in 1960, Ethiopian athlete Abebe Bikila won the Rome Marathon and set a world record, also barefoot. Abebe says: “Bikila not only won the marathon, but also left an invisible historical mark on the 42-kilometre Italian paved road with his bare feet.” In these works, feet emerge as symbols of strength, freedom and collective memory, embodying cultural identity and heritage.
These ideas are illustrated in works such as “Barefoot 13”, where pairs of feet form a landscape of hills and valleys through which a small cut-out figure must navigate. In other works, a single bare foot acts as a shadowy figure and is juxtaposed with shoes – such as a stiletto heel or shiny brogues – that symbolise modern, urban life. This dialogue between past and present forms the core of Abebe’s work.
However, these two worlds – the old and the new – are by no means in contradiction to each other, but are rather an expression of the passing of time and the development of identity, which are interwoven. Abebe’s works expose us to our core, revealing how we embellish and portray our identities while reminding us of our beginnings and our common humanity.
Opening: Thursday, 16. January 2025, 7 – 10 pm.
Exhibition dates: Friday, 17. January 2025 – Saturday, 15. February 2025
New address from January 2025:
Mercator Höfe
Potsdamer Str. 77-87
10785 Berlin
Title image caption: Dawit Abebe, Barefoot (ባዶ እግር) 10, 2024 | Acrylic and collage on canvas, 60 x 70 cm
Exhibition Dawit Abebe – Kristin Hjellegjerde Berlin | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Ausstellungen Berlin Galerien | ART at Berlin
