Kaleab Abate

Kaleab Abate's art navigates the boundary between the fantastical and the tangible, crafting immense works that typically transcend conventional bounds. He conceives whimsical figures characterized by irregular shapes and carefully measured colors, injecting an added layer of ambiguity into his creations.

Biography of Kaleab Abate

Kaleab Abate was born in 1998 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He studied printmaking at the Ale School of Fine Arts and Design, graduating in 2021. bate also successfully concluded a three-month residency at Silhouette Projects in Kampala.

He has exhibited at the INVESTEC Cape Town Art Fair and African Galleries Now x Artsy. In June 2023, he participated in the group exhibition "Eastern Voices: Contemporary Art from East Africa" at Addis Fine Art, London.

Currently, the artist lives in Addis Ababa, where he continues to work.

Kaleab Abate's Art Style

By employing a variety of printmaking techniques and diverse materials, Kaleab Abate engages in experimentation across different layers on both paper and canvas. Initiating his artistic process with a focus on emotions and expression rather than a precise likeness in his portraiture, he then allows the materials and printmaking patterns to organically guide the composition.

His approach involves allowing bodily shapes to fragment and deform into layers, each possessing unique characteristics—some rich, others delicate, half-transparent, or patterned, imbuing his creations with a distinct surreal twist. Abate's layering technique serves as a method to envision and bring to life the intricate depths of the narratives that may reside within the bodies he depicts.

Abate's compositions are rich with unexpected forms and textures, the majority of which defy reality. Figures undergo distortion, shapes exhibit erratic qualities, and color choices are intentionally limited. The events depicted are largely unreal, embracing a bold fantasy that captivates the artist's imagination. Despite this daring fantasy, his creations maintain a significant degree of realism, leading him to characterize his works as "fantasized realities."