Tesfaye Urgessa on painting resilience without simplifying suffering

THE STORY, IN BRIEF

In an ART AFRICA interview about Roots of Resilience at the Sainsbury Centre, Tesfaye Urgessa discussed portraying vulnerability and strength together rather than assigning a single emotion to a figure. He described how encounters with the museum’s collection prompted new work and how Ethiopian iconography remained present in his practice without deliberate imitation. His account framed painting as a way to make others’ experiences felt, rather than claiming that art immediately resolves injustice.

Summarised from ART AFRICA. AFROSCOPE Daily has not independently reported this story.