On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, the Alfred MFA painting cohort visited the beautiful Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf to attend the artist talk of Ethiopian visual artist Elias Sime, accompanied by his artistic partner, Meskerem Assegued. The talk was in English and translated in real-time by Meskerem, using Elias’ native tongue. The artist talk was held in conjunction with Elias Sime’s opening at the Kunstpalast; a large-scale exhibition called “Echo”, his first solo exhibition in a German-speaking country. The show includes the development of his work from the early 2000s to the present day.
About Elias Sime’s work: Sime assembles large-format reliefs from everyday objects and discarded electronic components such as wires, keyboard keys, and motherboards. The artist collects the material for this in his home city of Addis Ababa, at one of Africa’s largest open-air markets.
The talk gave insight into Sime’s process and artistic philosophies …
Sime states “Some of us know our passion early, some of us late, I was born an artist!”
On materiality: “I am going to use all types of things to create art.” Undoubtedly, the artist’s materials have evolved and changed throughout the years. Elias states, “Whatever I did then is right, whatever I am doing now is right.”
Sime attended art school at Addis Ababa University Alle School of Fine Arts in Ethiopia …
On attending art school: “I went through the discipline of the art school, and I don’t believe that is enough” … “There is a lot to learn from life, there is a lot to learn outside of the academic.”
Sime makes work on a monumental scale, his pieces range up to thirty meters. His works take shape on the ground, often built through numbered panels that eventually get put together and hung on the wall. The artist will not know what the work will look like until it has been assembled on exhibition walls. Those in attendance were surprised to learn that Sime begins his vision work on a miniature scale. These large-scale works start as a small sketch on paper, perhaps 3” x 3”. From the encouragement of his artistic partner and translator, Sime pulled one of these sketches from his pocket, to exhibit to the crowd in attendance.
Sime works with assistants to produce his work …
On working with a team, he states: “My assistants are not artists, this is true. Working with assistants is about giving and sharing, and sometimes they show me things that I have not seen. When we share ideas, I believe that the sharing is what creates the work.”
Sime provided much spiritual and philosophical insight throughout the talk. Some memorable quotes include:
On advice to artists, Sime says: “Find your bliss and follow it” … “Eat the fruit when it is ripe.”
On his dedication as an artist: “If you love, you can sacrifice everything. I used to spend many hours in my studio – most of my time was spent there.”
On his appreciation for nature and life: “Part of being human is to know that you are the tree. You need connections to survive; it is your oxygen. It’s about coexistence.”
📸 Max Heaton
PAINTING MFA Alfred/Düsseldorf 