Dawit Adnew is an Ethiopian artist whose work focuses on beauty and nature.
How has your lived experience shaped your practice?
I had an uncle who was a painter from my family who focused on his profession. They helped me at school and with the help of my family. However, I developed it into a professional path by attending an art university. What’s more, what I encountered in my life, when I worked as a designer in a textile factory, helped me to focus on the direction of my drawings and to find my own mark.
What are some of your biggest influences and motivations in your work? What issues are you passionate about working on?
I believe that like any student I have followed the academic path of my teachers enough. That means I have spent enough time in modelling. Therefore, it helped me to better understand people’s portraits and gestures. This is why I give great consideration to the people around me in the pictures I make. Also, bright colours and beautiful nature inspire me more. That’s why I decided to focus on the current day-to-day fashions. This means that I chose to put the imprint of the people of my time by matching the bright colours and patterns more closely.
Can you tell us more about your focus on women and community in your work?
I focus on beauty and nature. This is one of the beauties of women and I want to express them in an artistic way so that I can explore the beautiful nature. Perhaps they are close enough to express themselves in many ways through their clothes. For example, in the country where I live, there are more than 80 different colours and costumes. I dare say women are my biggest avenues for how to relate to the modern world itself.
Where are you based and what excites you about the creative community around you?
I live in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where I study and work. This means that it has helped me a lot in the art I do. It has helped me to observe both through fashion and around colours. It also helped me to be happy and close to my creative work.
See more of Dawit’s work HERE
