Filmon Adelehey (b. 1990, Eritrea): BLACK Exhibit

Filmon Adelehey was born and raised in Asmara, the capitol city of Eritrea. As a child of six or seven, he developed an interest in drawing and using burnt bits of wood, would draw on walls of his neighborhood’s buildings. Within a short time, he discovered color and was able to use colored pencils and crayons to create portraits on these same walls. At the age of fourteen, outside of his academic classes, he enrolled in an art school in Asmara. The class was comprised of local university art students, whereas Adelehey was the equivalent of a freshman in an American high school. For the next ten years he dedicated himself to his art, hopeful of one day becoming a professional artist. Intent on delving more deeply into his subject as an artist portraying the human experience, he observed people – his family, neighbors, friends, strangers – attentive to their faces, the emotional content of their character.

“…I have always been interested in the challenge of expressing the living essence of human beings in their totality, and I always wanted to use portraits to form more of my art. In my artwork, I don’t just want to paint a face but to be able to depict emotions, attitudes, character, intentions, and moods."

Eventually Adelehey was exhibiting in Asmara galleries. In 2015, he was chosen along with two of his countrymen to exhibit at the Beijing International Art Biennial, proudly representing his country, Eritrea.

In early 2016, the Adelehey moved to Seattle. “I have always wanted to become a solo artist and make lots of local and international exhibitions of my work as I had seen many artists do in my country…In August 2016, I moved to the United States due to an increase in political instability in the home country, Eritrea.”

The young artist supported himself with various commissions, participation in a several group shows, and driving an Uber at night. “I am also a determined and goal-driven individual always with little words. I like encouraging people I meet daily in this life to be focused on what they do because determination is a key to greatness. I chose art in form of portraits because I believe it gives us the chance to express our deepest fears, feelings and emotions hard to express in words.”

After participating in two FH&Co group shows in 2019 & 2020, Adelehey had his first solo exhibition with the Gallery in September 2021, “A SILENT JOURNEY”, which included his treatments of iconic African-American heroes, Frederick Douglass, James Baldwin, Harriet Tubman, and Nipsey Hustle. His paintings have been purchased by private collectors and corporate collectors in the Seattle metropolitan region and around the country.“Ever since I was introduced to portrait art, I have realized that it takes up a challenging, yet exciting task in integrating the feelings in real life with my canvas, and this attracts me. It is the unexpected that gives a painting the quality of being special. As an artist, I believe that art as a method of communication, it can create positive changes in our way of life. I want to be part of that change.”

His participation in the group exhibition, “BLACK” provides Adelehey the opportunity to once again show his technical prowess as an artist through both his mastery of the material and brushwork, but also to stretch himself creatively beyond the familiar through several of these new paintings of figures moving in water as though in a fluid, sensuous ballet.

BLACK Exhibition Works....