Girma Berta

Asmara I, 2018

Limited edition

Digital Archival Print
45 x 60 cm
Edition of 7 plus 1
AP Series: 2018, Asmara

CM H 45 W 60

IN H 17.72 W 23.62

Signed by artist

Available

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About the work

Asmara I, 2018

Girma Berta (b.1990) is an award-winning photographer whose work fuses street photography with fine art. In his Moving Shadows series, solitary figures are juxtaposed against vibrant backgrounds, creating truly unique artworks, which exemplify the contrasting colours and personalities on the streets of his hometown.

As one of the first photographers to travel to Eritrea once the blockage was lifted in June 2018, his new Asmara series documents Eritrea’s capital frozen in time. Berta, who is self-taught, uses a combination of street photography and graphic design to create images of passers-by with a painterly quality. Berta's use of digital media, to produce and present his artworks, is in itself a commentary on the digital revolution underway across Africa. He represents the vibrancy of the millennial African.

About artist

Girma Berta

Girma Berta is an award winning young artist based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Born in 1990, Berta is a self-taught photographer whose work fuses street photography with fine art. In Berta's Moving Shadows series I and II, solitary figures are juxtaposed against vibrant backgrounds, creating truly unique artworks which exemplify the contrasting colours and personalities on the streets of his home town. Berta's use of digital media, to produce and present his artworks, is in itself a commentary on the digital revolution underway across Africa. He represents the vibrancy of the millennial African. Berta describes the motivation behind his work as a wish to capture "the beautiful, the ugly and all that is in between". His images delve deep into the soul of the city, offering his remarkable interpretation.

Berta’s work has been featured in publications such as The Guardian, Okay Africa, Design Indaba, The Huffington Post, Instagram, NPR and Art Africa Magazine. He was selected to participate in the New York Times Portfolio Review 2017, and shortlisted as a finalist for the CAP Prize 2017.

His works have been exhibited at La Gacilly Photo Festival (2017), Nataal / Red Hook Labs NY (2017), Cape Town Art Fair (2017), PhotoVille NY (2016, 2015), Look Festival (2016), 1:54 Contemporary Art Fair London (2016), Also Known as Africa Art Fair Paris (2016) and Bamako Photo Fest (2015). Berta is the recipient of the Getty Images Instagram Award 2016.

About Gallery

Addis Fine Art

Founded in 2016 by Rakeb Sile and Mesai Haileleul, Addis Fine Art is a pioneering gallery based in Addis Ababa and London. Listed as one of the "Most Important Galleries in the World" (Artsy 2019), it is the very first local white cube space and international platform based in Ethiopia. The gallery focuses on highlighting modern and contemporary fine art from the Horn of Africa region and its Diasporas.

January 2016 saw the opening of the gallery's main space in the heart of Addis Ababa, showing a diverse set of modern and contemporary artists. In October 2016, the AFA Project Space was opened in London to expand the international programme centered around the Diaspora voices. In Spring of 2020, the London gallery will move to a permanent office space and full programme in Cromwell Place, a first-of-its-kind exhibition space in Kensington, London.

In it's short history, Addis Fine Art has become one of the leading galleries from Africa, facilitating critical engagement with the local and mainstream art markets, championing an underrepresented, yet rich space in modern and contemporary fine art.

Addis Fine Art Gallery
3rd Floor Woldfiker Building
Bole Medhane Alem, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Monday - Saturday // 10am-1pm & 2-6pm
Tel: +251 980 635 696

Addis Fine Art London
1 - 5 Cromwell Place
South Kensington, London SW7 2JE
*Opening Spring 2020
Tel: +44 203 488 0822