Citizen of the world, political refugee, militant activist for the independence of Eritrea, Ficre Ghebreyesus has populated his works with intricate and eminently personal experiences. Working fluidly between abstraction and figuration, Ghebreyesus’ opaque acrylics and oil paintings suggest the non-linear form of dreams, memories, and narratives. Momentarily recognizable shapes dissolve into colorful patterns: a shoal of fish takes the shape of a group of human bodies passing by; a boat appears from intertwined bright colored shapes recalling Eritrean fabrics. His rejection of boundaries and divisions is distilled by his optimistic embrace of an identity and a home that is perpetually in motion.
