Goodman Gallery presents INNER VIEWS, Michal Worke's first solo presentation in London. This exhibition of recent paintings is inspired by the artist's return to Ethiopia for a residency in 2021. At three years old, Worke moved from Ethiopia to Israel–via Sudan–with her family as part of 'Operation Moses' in the 1980s. Once Michal's family arrived in Israel they settled and lived in Netanya. Her work offers a reflection on the struggles of survival and sense of home relating to the artist's personal experiences as well as more global issues around migration.
Worke combines a distinct figurative style–deliberately naive and brightly coloured–with feminist sensibilities, exploring identity and, at times, directly referencing the practice of the late Portuguese-British artist Paula Rego. The artist creates autobiographical paintings, combining self-portraits with portraits of her family and community.
Laden with symbolism, these latest paintings feature recurring objects and sentimental items of clothing. For example, the Netela, a traditional handmade scarf worn by Ethiopian and Eritrean women appears in Worke's most recent paintings to invoke the Ethiopian diasporic experience and is a visual signifier shared by communities in Israeli, where the artist now resides.
Goodman Gallery is an international contemporary art gallery with locations in Johannesburg, Cape Town and London. The gallery represents artists whose work confronts entrenched power structures and inspires social change.
