Ethiopian artist Elias Sime first solo show in New York City

A tour de force: Collages made from recycled electronic bits morph into majestic cityscapes.

I am seeing more and more signs that African contemporary art is getting the attention of New York dealers. I was at a wedding in Boston when I learned from an art advisor friend about the exhibition of the work of Elias Sime at the James Cohan gallery. I felt a bit embarrassed that I had not heard of it first but since I have this love / hate relationship to Chelsea and in particular the big opening nights I often miss the opening of the new shows. I want to be in the know but when I see every one running from one opening to the other I can’t wait to get in a cab, go home and wait for a quieter moment.

Part of me wants to keep art viewing and discovery as something magical and special that warms my soul. This is the legacy from having lived since my childhood surrounded with outstanding art hanging on the walls of my home. I also cannot forget some amazing moments at museums where my encounters with art was life changing in some instances. However in today’s world it is easy to get caught up by the frenzy, the orgy of viewing so I have to be mindful.

This was a wise decision as the work deserves quiet contemplation, time to step back and take in the breadth of the vision and then come closer and admire the amazing skill involved in creating these intricate collages.

Braided wires form tight networks of colorful patterns and dismembered motherboards appear as cityscapes viewed from above. Looking at them I was reminded of the view I have when I fly low over the surrounding hills of Nairobi.

Densely populated, the houses, roads, and small agricultural patches create surface patterns similar to the ones found in Sime’s collages. The sheer scale of the endeavour and the level of dexterity are astounding.

Elias Sime is from Ethiopia, works in Addis Ababa and is a collector of things. He collects electric parts, threads, buttons, plastic, animal skins, fabric and bottle tops and makes collages from them. Recycling old objects is an old tradition in Africa, and Sime excels at it. Sime treats his objects as “oil paint, acrylic or clay.”

In another body of work stitching is the principal medium. Abstract forms and color fields emerge from dyed canvases covered with tiny stitching. I am amazed by the delicacy of the work. At closer look, I notice little insects, that add a narrative focus to a scene that at first seems non representational. In this process Sime stays close to home and adopts local traditions while creating visions that can speak to all. The result is intensely poetic almost spiritual. See Holland Cotter‘s review in the New York Times

One can be tempted to compare his work to the work of El Anatsui. Both recycle and reassemble discarded objects into large-scale panels however Sime’s work while abstract stay anchored in the physical world.