On the sunny Saturday evening of April 25, the long-awaited opening of Prince Merid Tafesse’s _Refraction_ had arrived. I was running late but arrived in the nick of time to hear Desta Meghoo, curator extraordinaire, deliver razor-sharp remarks with Merid smiling, standing by her side. French Ambassador Alexis Lamek and the newest Director of the Alliance Ethio-Française, Olivier Mouginot, all on the podium, delivered speeches while my heart throbbed with anticipation. I wondered: what did the first family of Ethiopian art have to offer viewers? What lay behind the wall of glass in the newly renovated, dimly lit gallery?
Then the Ambassador flanked by Merid, Desta, and Olivier, cut the red ribbons with scissors. A flood of lights followed, exposing the _REFRACTION_ experience — art as far as the eye could see. I almost sprinted into the gallery. Instead, I hugged my dear brother and sister and cautiously began my way into the exhibition with the other invited guests for the special pre-opening.
My journey began in
Gallery 1 of 3, giving the feeling of walking through a labyrinth. My mind flashed to the mythical Ariadne’s Thread and the Minotaur. The peculiar sensation of levitation and joy was overwhelming.
I understood what Merid said in his opening statement: “I will not say much, as a lot has already been stated in my art.”
The pure brilliance of each work, the variation in technique and size, and the sheer volume of 61 works — from 5cm x 15cm to 4m x 3m — leaves one breathless. Words cannot synthesize the experience, especially with the knowledge of the path taken over the past 15 months: from the demolition of their beautiful mid-century modern Moa Anbessa Art Studio, Gallery, and home in Kazanchis for river development, followed by temporary displacement for three months, then settling into a new apartment for the past twelve months with constant engagement to secure a replacement lot. That replacement became the space for a temporary studio to create ten large works. The new Moa Anbessa Art Studio Gallery and residence will be built there shortly.
After all this, the aesthetics were crowned King — they emerged stronger than ever. This is the marvel of the human spirit!
I said to myself: Merid the Lion Hearted! The first family of art in Addis Ababa — Merid and Desta Meghoo — are a testament to the flowering of the human spirit, where love, resilience, dedication, knowledge, paramount skill, and energy reign supreme.
The curatorial statement succinctly and elegantly explains:
“_REFRACTION… inviting viewers to experience ‘forbidden fruit’… process and analysis… raw expression and emotion, silently shared by all._”
Merid is a lover of fine art and a guardian of his human right to produce art, which he generously offers to the Addis community and beyond as a leading artist with a wide social media presence.
For me, the questions are: What is the community’s response? What is the influence of commercial forces, and the impact of proximity to power?
None of the above matters. Why? Merid is steady, and his work is a testament to the heights Ethiopian art has reached. It should be acknowledged accordingly, as our art is displayed in palaces, private and public spaces — historic and newly built alike.
Undoubtedly, all 60 works of art exemplify the highest level of professionalism and painterly flair, transporting us to realms beyond through the sheer energy of their vibratory aura emanating out of thier 2D concrete existence.
Finally, the curatorial work is beyond perfection. From the framing of the smaller pieces in black wood, to the descriptive labels, display of giant paintings, and projection mapping, the mind-bending arrangement of the spectrum of works is captivating.
“Refraction,” as Desta reminds us, happens when light passes from one medium to another, skewing what the brain processes and what the eyes see. This opens large emotional and intellectual pastures and deep lakes to explore, enjoy, and float on.
In a world where Palantir tweets provide finality in 20 or so characters, stock markets formalize insider trading via betting sites such as Polymarket, and the potential for decimation and defense has billions of dollars dangling on the grifts of the Orange Man — where the Persian Gulf, Hormuz, is in our daily thoughts — we realize and appreciate art that imitates life, and vice versa, in Merid’s case.
Passing from one medium of consciousness to another consciousness, let _Refraction_ be the definition of winning, making us all coexist in a linguistic universe where, eventually, the philosophy that holds one race, thought, or ideology superior and another inferior is totally and permanently discredited and abandoned.
Let us bet on art and let our winning strategy be love. Let us realize the materiality of existence is just a medium, and that meaning exists in _Refraction_.
Merid the Lion Hearted will reach even higher, and I look forward to witnessing the peaks the first family of art out of Ethiopia will reach. Join Desta and special guests for “Let’s Talk About Art…” with Merid on Friday, May 8th at 4 PM at Alliance Ethio-Française to find out for yourself.
