Addis Fine Art, founded by Rakeb Sile and Mesai Haileleul in 2016, faced a significant decision regarding Ethiopian artist Merikokeb Berhanu's career after her participation in the 2022 Venice Biennale. Although Berhanu has been represented by Addis since 2017 and has gained considerable success, including major institutional sales, Sile recognized that they had maximized their potential for her progression. Thus, they began exploring collaborations with larger galleries, resulting in a joint representation announcement today, aiming to expand Berhanu's international presence without losing her.
There are a few artists that we look after who have reached the limit of what we can do for them on our own, and Meri is one of them, Sile tells The Art Newspaper.
Addis took Berhanu on in 2017 and gave her her first show in Addis Ababa. Since then, Sile says, the gallery has sold her work into around 15 international institutional collections, including the Tate.
Berhanu's appearance at the Biennale drew further international attention to her, and it was at this point that Addis Fine Art started looking for collaborators to grow her international career.
This is our first proper collaboration, but we understand that to help our artists reach wider audiences, sometimes we must partner with larger galleries.
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