Undiscovered Cities in the Eyes of an Artist

Undiscovered Cities in the Eyes of an Artist

Yosief Abraham

Art inspires, teaches and empowers societies; it has also an irrefutable power in creating a solid climate where societies would enjoy their socially inherited profiles sit under the shade of various art productions harmoniously. Henceforth, it has been centuries since societies have taken into account the vitality of art in exposing their dignity, values and other triumphant contents which are encompassed in the deepness of their culture and lifestyle.

Meanwhile, an art exhibition was staged at the auditorium of Casa Degli Italiani here in Asmara from 12 to 15 February by artist Yosief Abraha. Born and raised in Asmara, Yosief presented 41 paintings, which among them were collages and water color with rarefied acrylic styles. Modeled his core of messages on unearthing the undiscovered cosmopolitans lifestyles of our cities, Yosief attempted to expose the heart- capturing ingredients of our highly stunning existence track of Asmara and Massawa appreciatively. Keren also got limited attention of the artist who strives to find new horizons of exploiting the power of painting in relishing perspectives.

As many experts have been reiterating in various occasions, the main difficult and challenging part of collage paintings is, therefore, to form an absolute facets of objects from various and properly prepared magazines pages as it doesn’t give you an absolute freedom to use colors and inks in intensified level. In line with this, he, Yosief, states that collage works claim easily insurmountable stamina that believes in the power of the mind so as to downgrading possible barriers that emanate from various corners.

In addition to this, Yosief states that art, especially painting, is meant to deploy your mind and all other possessions in a fierce struggle to challenge such possible dragging factors in the ocean of being the judicious and professional artist. Notwithstanding to this, however, he has been staging various exhibitions. Excluding to this, therefore, he staged five art exhibitions at individual level and one collaborated with other artists, including with the New York based gallery which exhibited his paintings in 2006.

Meanwhile, during the four days exhibition, art enthusiasts gave their credible testimony to witness the endeavors exerted to harmonize the tone, forms, and pillars of the message and color compositions. His painting entitled “Mourning Meditation”, for instance, attempts to classify Eritreans, markedly of our mothers, in depth cultural value that strives to share moments of ecstatic and distressing events together. “Just there are concealed emotions that invade your heart and tune your mind with easily indecipherable impressions. I appreciate our cities lifestyle which are yet unmasked in proper and artistic way,” he asserts to articulate the reason that motivated him to stage this collage painting.

Influenced by some of his family’s role in shaping and tuning his mind, he has been canalizing his talents to explore the beauties of our charming cities. Turkish styled buildings, narrow nooks, partial ruined complex houses, contrasts and harmony of individuals’ lifestyles from Massawa have been presented in his collage paintings triumphantly. Eritrean Square, a place which is known for accommodating panoramic views, eminent shrines, stunning architectures, and daily activities of cosmopolitans, transport systems and others were also among those highly honored Asmara’s daily assets.

While enjoying his exhibitions, I managed to know that he paid prominent focus to the eye- catching art deco styled building of Asmara, escorted by the nostalgic ingredients; people sit leaned against walls, cycle riders, faithful teemed in and outside of temples, shopping and other rituals. I was zealous to know the reason. “Swollen with prides, I confidentially believe that we have much assets of dignity.

Antique tools from Medeber, a center of over 429 cottage homes, old doors of many buildings, which are located within the 4 sq. km that has been delimited in 2001 as vital area of fascinating architectures, for instance, are among the mouth- watering endowments Asmara offers. Therefore, I hope that my paintings might have played vital role in shedding light on the impressing part of our cities,” he insists.

In addition to this, his painting entitled “The Red Vain” also played vibrant role. George Marsh, professor in Etching and Engraving, from Bamako, Mali, accentuated in his book entitled “The Phantoms of Art Works” that successful collages encompasses symmetric color composition that avoids exaggerating objects by giving magnificent part to creative tone and clearly illustrated form. Of course, Yosief fulfilled this in his painting entitled “The Red Vain”, a collage work which postulates the vista of bus travelers in cities. He applied thin stripped papers to build external part of the bus. Simultaneously, the sporadically dropped color gave the collage full confidence to assume people on board with degrees of certainty.

Ultimately, Yosief, an artist who has been engaging in collecting various antiquities, has also show his naturedly shaped power in diagnosing creative style of collage works than water or acrylic centered works. In addition, it is worth to recommend that diversification with in symmetric profiles is also one way for empowering such artist profiles even though artist Yosief has not reflected this markedly in its deeper faces.

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