Fitsum Behre Woldelibanos

Fitsum was born in Ethiopia and graduated from the Asmara School of Arts in 2000 after taking courses in painting, sculpture and print-making. He has lived in Kenya for the last 15 years. Frequently playing with stereotypes of the exoticised black male, his vibrant, gestural paintings have gathered an enthusiastic international following. His work has been exhibited extensively in Kenya, South Africa and Europe including Austria, Sweden and most recently France.

This painting is unusual for Woldelibanos in that it focuses on the background textures and atmosphere as opposed to the figure of the woman in the foreground.