Artnet News | What to See at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, From Sculptures Made of Acrylic Nai

Nirit Takele, a 34-year-old painter, was born in Ethiopia, but relocated with her family to Israel during Operation Solomon in 1991. She revisited her home country for the first time in 27 years for a residency last year. The experience had a significant impact on her work.

“It was… wow,” Takele says. “The culture there is so colorful. Before the residency, I was using more blues and pastel colors. Since, I’ve used red, green, yellow—just like the Ethiopian flag.”

Indeed, the color is likely the first thing you’ll notice about Takele’s graphic, pop-esque paintings on view at Addis Fine Art’s booth. See, for instance, her standout work from this year, Studio Visit Adam & Eve. In it, Takele recreates the classic creation myth in a pale pink artist’s studio. A female painter with a bright red apron directs the lush scene, god-like. All four characters in the composition—the artist, her assistant, and the first man and woman—are people of color, a noted departure from the way this tale is often told.

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