Elias Sime

Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

12 Feb – 1 June 2025

Elias Sime
Elias Sime, Tightrope. Behind the Processor No. 6, 2022, Detail

Date

12 Feb – 1 June 2025

Location

» Kunstpalast
  • Admission: 13 € / concessions 10 €

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

In spring 2025, the Kunstpalast is dedicating a large-scale exhibition to the Ethiopian artist Elias Sime (*1968). In this first solo exhibition in a German-speaking country, the development of his work from the early 2000s to the present day can be traced.

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When would you like to visit the exhibition?

Elias Sime, Tightrope. Behind the Flowers, 2017
Elias Sime, Tightrope. Behind the Flowers, 2017

Since Sime’s participation in the Venice Biennale in the exhibition “The Milk of Dreams” in 2022, his work has received widespread international recognition. His art can be found in important collections such as the Metropolitan Museum, New York, Saint Louis Art Museum and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Elias Sime, Veiled Whispers, 2022
Elias Sime, Veiled Whispers, 2022

Elias Sime assembles large-format reliefs from everyday objects and discarded electronic components. The artist collects the material for this in his home city of Addis Ababa at one of Africa’s largest open-air markets. Interwoven wires, rearranged keyboard keys, collaged motherboards – Sime has developed a captivating aesthetic through the repurposing and utilization of electronic waste. The elements of his works refer to their respective journeys around the world and to the many hands through which they have passed; by which they were produced, used and recycled.

Elias Sime, Tightrope. Behind the Processor #6, 2022, Detail
Elias Sime, Tightrope. Behind the Processor #6, 2022, Detail

In his artistic practice, Sime explicitly juxtaposes the global with the local and draws attention to the influence that technology has on our society, as well as its mass consumption and its effects. He examines the complexity of various forms of communication and questions the role of interpersonal relationships. This interest is also reflected in the collaborative approach on which all of Sime’s works are based and which is practiced in his studio in Addis Ababa. A workshop at the center of the Düsseldorf presentation, where events take place and visitors can experiment with the artist’s materials and techniques, picks up on this aspect. Sime’s studio is a component of the joint project Zoma Museum, which he co-founded and which is also presented in the exhibition at the Kunstpalast and which underlines his far-reaching reputation in the African art and cultural scene.

Exhibition Catalogue

Edited by: Felicity Korn, Anna Grosche | 112 p. | 83 col. ill. | 29,5 x 22,5 cm | German | hardcover | publisher DCV | museum edition: 29,80 €

35,00 €

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Open Studio


Every Sunday, 1 – 5 pm


Every Sunday, you can experiment with Elias Sime’s materials and techniques in the workshop room in the middle of the exhibition and create your own works. The Ethiopian artist creates large-format reliefs from discarded objects such as wire or computer keyboards. Many people help the artist in the process and collaboration is very important to him. You can also get creative together in the Open Studio, you don’t need to register and can simply drop by.

The exhibition was initiated by the Arnolfini in Bristol and further developed for Düsseldorf. At the Biennale in Venice in 2024, the artist presented an exhibition of his most recent works in cooperation with the Kunstpalast.

Curator: Felicity Korn, Head of Collection, 20th and 21st Century

Accompanying Programme

Sun 23 Feb 2025

Open Studio

13:00

Elias Sime. Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

Sun 2 Mar 2025

Open Studio

13:00

Elias Sime. Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

Sun 9 Mar 2025

Open Studio

13:00

Elias Sime. Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

Sun 9 Mar 2025

የጎብኝዎች መስተንግዶ በአማርኛ / Öffentliche Führung auf Amharisch

15:00

Elias Sime. Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

Sat 15 Mar 2025

Visite guidée publique en français / Öffentliche Führung auf Französisch

15:00

Elias Sime. Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

Sun 6 Apr 2025

Экскурсия на Русском Языке / Öffentliche Führung auf Russisch

15:30

Elias Sime. Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

Sun 13 Apr 2025

Visita guidata pubblica in italiano / Öffentliche Führung auf Italienisch

15:00

Elias Sime. Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

Sat 19 Apr 2025

Visita pública guiada en español / Öffentliche Führung auf Spanisch

15:00

Elias Sime. Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

Sat 3 May 2025

Публічна Екскурсія Українською Мовою / Öffentliche Führung auf Ukrainisch

15:00

Elias Sime. Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

Sat 10 May 2025

Public Tour in English / Öffentliche Führung auf Englisch

15:00

Elias Sime. Echo የገደል ማሚቶ

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