Suddenly and for a flash, this empty space in Williamsburg, New York will be filled by strange faces. 

As soon as you enter the room you will be surrounded, observed, intimidated, surprised by many silent figures… From where they come from? Who are they? But first of all who is responsible for all these Faces? Who is Eltayeb Dawelbait?

Eltayeb Dawelbait (Sudan, 1968), is an artist, an activist, an archivist of sorts. He emigrated to Kenya, with many other artists in the late 90s after a tumultuous decade of actively protesting against Bashir Regime while at the University of Sudan. Dawelbait finds inspiration in the past, the histories, the lives, and the tender stories that hold weight hence the use of old materials, once owned and used by others. In these works, you will find the heavy-handed marks, carving away the portraits seen with pursed, muted lips, and often no eyes. Although not explicitly admitted, this may speak of a past of repression where he has lived and still fights for today.

The faces have different shapes and colors. Colors which lived already in the found objects. Colors that come different times and eras. He finds discarded wood, windows, doors, kitchen drawers, sheets of rustic metal… Like an archaeologist looking for lost treasure…. Digging deep, scraping layer after layer… Shades of blues, greens, oranges, bringing to life the hidden and forgotten individuals and memories.

“An empty canvas is full” – Robert Rauschenberg

About Eltayeb Dawelbait

Eltayeb Dawelbait (Sudan, 1968), is an artist, an activist, an archivist of sorts. He emigrated to Kenya, with many other artists in the late 90s after a tumultuous decade of actively protesting against Bashir Regime while at the University of Sudan. Dawelbait finds inspiration in the past, the histories, the lives, and the tender stories that hold weight hence the use of old materials, once owned and used by others. In his works, you will find the heavy-handed marks, carving away the portraits seen with pursed, muted lips, and often no eyes. Although not explicitly admitted, this may speak of a past of repression where he has lived and still fights for today.

The faces have different shapes and colors. Colors which lived already in the found objects. Colours that come from different times and eras. He finds discarded wood, windows, doors, kitchen drawers, sheets of rustic metal… Like an archaeologist looking for lost treasure…. Digging deep, scraping layer after layer… Shades of blues, greens, oranges, bringing to life the hidden and forgotten individuals and memories.

An empty canvas is full – Robert Rauschenberg

Eltayeb Dawelbait has exhibited worldwide, including solo exhibitions at TAD Gallery in Rome, Ensign Gallery in London, Nini Gallery in Cape Town and group exhibitions at the Russian Cultural Center in Dar es Salaam, The Gallery in Asmara, Eritrea and  Art CN in Shanghai, to name a few. He has been taken to many art fairs as well, including Toronto Art Fair, Monaco Art Fair, London Art Fair, and Bonhams Art Fair. In Nairobi, he was selected for a colossal commission work by PwC in 2013 and his works are in collections all over the world from Cape Town, South Africa to  Sydney, Australia, Russia and across Europe, as well as in Mexico and the US.