ELIAS SIME

The title Through The Window speaks to both literal and metaphorical apertures—portals that frame perception, whether through architecture or digital screens. His layered, textured surfaces recall aerial landscapes, circuit pathways, and organic topographies, offering a meditation on interconnectedness and the materials that shape our digital world.

Sime has long been at the forefront of contemporary art, gaining international acclaim for his prominent inclusion in the 59th Venice Biennale (2022) as part of Cecilia Alemani’s The Milk of Dreams, and for his celebrated Tightrope series, which explores the tension between technological progress and environmental sustainability.

Throughout his career, Elias Sime has evolved a practice that is as much about process as it is about product. At its core, his work is an exploration of transformation—both in the physical realm and in the way we perceive the evolving relationship between technology and humanity, as society adapts to the constant flux of technological advancements. Sime’s compositions reflect the dynamic interplay between technological progress and human experience, capturing the essence of how our lives are intertwined with the devices that surround us.

Sime’s method is notably hands-on and meticulous, involving an almost alchemical reworking of materials, where each component is carefully selected, manipulated, and reassembled to create intricate networks that evoke emotions. At first glance, they give the impression of maps, topographies, and even urban grids. This attention to detail not only results in visually arresting pieces but also challenges viewers to reconsider the value and potential of the limitless possibilities of human imagination. By turning everyday industrial remnants into art, he interrogates the relentless pace of technological progress and its environmental ramifications, highlighting how precious minerals are extracted from the earth to fuel its development.

Conceptually, Sime’s practice explores the interplay between structure and fluidity. The precise, almost surgical arrangement of electronic parts reveals an underlying framework that underscores the importance of connectivity and communication. His work is a meditation on how modernity, with all its technological advancements, is deeply intertwined with the broader narrative of human ingenuity and the historical trajectory of innovation, highlighting the complex relationships between technological progress and the natural world.

ELIAS SIME

Elias Sime (b. 1968, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) is a world-renowned artist known for his use of industrial materials, such as microchips, power cords, and tech components. His first solo exhibition, Elias Sime: Tightrope (2020-2021), was showcased at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, and traveled to the Akron Art Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum.

Beyond his artwork, Sime, in collaboration with Meskerem Assegued, co-founded and designed the Zoma Museum in Addis Ababa, an environmentally conscious art center that opened in 2019. The museum integrates art with sustainable architecture and includes galleries, a library, school, and public spaces. They are also developing Zoma Village on Entot mountain, transforming a steep hill in Addis Ababa into terraced gardens and a diverse artistic community. Recent exhibitions include Eregata (2023) at Arnolfini, Bristol, which traveled to Hastings Contemporary (2024), Currents 118: Elias Sime at the Saint Louis Art Museum (2020), and Elias Sime: Tightrope at the Wellin Museum (2019). His permanent installation Roots is displayed at Johns Hopkins University.

Sime’s Elias Sime: Dichotomy ፊት እና ጀርባ (2024) was an official Collateral Event at the 60th Venice Biennale, and is now part of Echo at Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, running through June 2025. His work has been featured in numerous biennales and group exhibitions at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the 59th Venice Biennale, and the Royal Academy of Arts, among others. Sime’s work is held in prominent collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Pérez Art Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, Cleveland Clinic Art Collection and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, among others.