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Tesfaye Urgessa's 'Roots of Resilience' Exhibition at Sainsbury Centre Explores Fragility Through Surrealist Paintings

exhibition · 2026-04-20

At the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Tesfaye Urgessa presents his exhibition 'Roots of Resilience,' showcasing four large and several medium-sized paintings created during his residency in March 2025. The Ethiopian artist delves into themes of fragility and resilience, featuring surrealist imagery with brown male figures and meaningful objects. Following his return to Addis Ababa from Germany in 2022, his earth-toned color scheme evolved. The exhibition also includes notable pieces from the Sainsbury Centre's collection, such as Francis Bacon's 'Head of a Woman' (1960) and Picasso's 'Woman Combing Her Hair' (1906). Highlighted works are 'No Country for Young Men, 31' (2024), 'First Flame' (2025), and 'Luminous Life' (2025). It will be on display until 15 February as part of the 'Can We Stop Killing Each Other?' season.

Key facts

  • Tesfaye Urgessa's exhibition 'Roots of Resilience' runs through 15 February at Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
  • The exhibition features four large paintings and several midsize works created during Urgessa's March 2025 residency
  • 'No Country for Young Men, 31' (2024) was first shown at the 2024 Venice Biennale's Ethiopia Pavilion
  • Urgessa returned to Addis Ababa in 2022 after 13 years in Germany
  • The exhibition is part of the Sainsbury Centre's 'Can We Stop Killing Each Other?' season
  • Urgessa's work is presented alongside collection pieces by Francis Bacon, Henry Moore, and Picasso
  • The artist employs earth tones and surrealist compositions exploring fragility and resilience
  • Urgessa's visual strategies reference European surrealism and African modernism, particularly Ibrahim El-Salahi

Entities

Artists

  • Tesfaye Urgessa
  • Francis Bacon
  • Henry Moore
  • Pablo Picasso
  • Ibrahim El-Salahi
  • Giorgio de Chirico
  • Philip Guston
  • Charwei Tsai

Institutions

  • Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
  • ArtReview
  • Venice Biennale
  • Ethiopia Pavilion

Locations

  • Addis Ababa
  • Ethiopia
  • Germany
  • Venice
  • Italy
  • Sudan
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • Oceania
  • Americas
  • Ivory Coast

Sources