Merikokeb Berhanu Untitled XCXII, 2025

Untitled XCXII, features red shapes which are encroached upon by various tech-like sections and which surround a dark geometric void at the center. Some surfaces are covered in pattern recalling the angular threads of microchips or schematic motherboards, as if they had proliferated autonomously. This fantasy circuitry, sometimes rendered in a matrix-green reminiscent of representations of cyberspace in early sci-fi, signals a modern, industrial and digital realm.

The tension inherent in Merikokeb’s approach to the meaning of color and shape, abstract and representational form, bespeaks a deeply felt spirituality—pained by a perceived estrangement between humans and nature, yet fueled by a belief in the long history of humanity’s resilience. Her paintings have a topical and contemporary mood, not because of their references to a vaguely technological formal vocabulary but because of the mix of melancholy and strength. There is sadness but also a will to find beauty and hope in life and in form.