JULIE MEHRETU
in art, by a Fine contributor, August 8th, 2010Artwork explored through abstraction, historical accounts, and architecture
Julie Mehretu is celebrated for her large scale paintings and drawings that layer abstract forms with familiar architectural imagery. Drawn from a multitude of sources including historical photographs, urban planning grids, architectural drawings, graffiti, and comic books, these semi-abstract works explore the social concerns of power, history, globalism, and the built environment and their impact on the formation of personal and communal identity.
Mehretu was born in Addis Ababa in 1970 and lives and works in New York. She has exhibited in several important group exhibitions including ‘Poetic Justice’, 8th Istanbul Biennial (2003), Whitney Biennial (2004), São Paolo Biennial (2004), Carnegie International, Pittsburgh (2004) and Biennale of Sydney (2006). Solo exhibitions include Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, REDCAT, Los Angeles and Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo (2003), St Louis Art Museum (2005) and MUSAC, Léon, Spain (2006).