Between Then and When

Abel Lema

When we first met Abel Lema he did not talk much. He let the work speak. Large, abstract paintings, layered and dense, filled with movement and restraint at the same time. You could tell immediately that these were not rushed pieces. They carried discipline.

 Abel is a graduate of the Alle School of Fine Arts, one of the few formal training grounds for fine artists in Ethiopia. His education gave him structure, but visibility did not come easily. Like many artists working in abstraction, his work often sat outside popular taste. It required patience. It asked people to slow down.

Studio 11 had, from the beginning, focused on exhibiting women artists. Choosing to show Abel was intentional. It was not about shifting the vision, but about recognizing an artist whose work deserved space, dialogue, and serious attention. Between Then and When became the first exhibition by a male artist hosted by the gallery, and that decision carried weight.

The exhibition ran for two months, longer than most shows, and the time mattered. Viewers returned. Conversations unfolded slowly. People began to notice how the paintings changed depending on how long you stood with them, how they resisted quick interpretation.

For Abel, this was more than gaining exposure. It was also a recognition. Peers from the art community came. Collectors asked questions. For the first time, his work existed in a space where it was not expected to explain itself, only to be experienced.