Fekadu Mekasha

Fekadu Mekasha

Gallery of Music and Art is proud to announce the arrival of new artist Fekadu Mekasha who creates magnificent gallery art portrait sculptures of celebrities using wire mesh.

Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Fekadu Mekasha is now based in fabulous Las Vegas. The artist’s medium of choice is wire mesh which he layers into figurative sculptures. He carefully cuts each layer of mesh to achieve the correct tones needed for these amazing portraits. Wire mesh allows Mekasha to work intimately with the material allowing a hands-on spontaneity and creative freedom to the art-making process. Each work is several layers deep as individual edited planes are spaced apart forming the final image, bestowing the portraits with a mesmerizing depth and dimensionality. Viewing them at our online fine art gallery does not do them justice, on the internet gallery the portraits look like Black and White illustrations.

Mekasha’s unique works are no visual illusion and can be viewed obliquely from any angle. The artist is also available to choreograph portrait commissions of the icon of your choice.

Please be sure to check out all his amazing works! At our painting gallery online or visit our art gallery store in Las Vegas at the Forum Shops at Caesars Fl 3.

Fekadu Mekasha - Wire Mesh Portrait Sculpture

Fekadu Mekasha creates each wire mesh portrait sculpture freehand, in a subtractive performance, snipping the mesh with shears to capture the highlight details and shadows of the portrait subject. Based on a photographic reference of cultural icons or one of a more personal nature, each constructed work is a unique one of a kind sculpture. By cutting and choreographing layers of wire mesh then welding them together, the sculpted portrait is meticulously revealed.

As a professional welder, Mekasha first sculpted figurative works in metal rebar, then discovering wire mesh in his search to create portrait sculptures out of non-conventional materials. Wire mesh allows Mekasha to work intimately with the material allowing a hands-on spontaneity and creative freedom to the art-making process. Each work is several layers deep as individual edited planes are spaced apart forming the final image, bestowing the portraits with a mesmerizing depth and dimensionality. The gossamer nature of the mesh, allowing passage of light through the sculpture beckons the viewer to interact with the work, revealing the complexity of the subject’s unique face. The realistic portrait image draws you in while attempting to understand how the work is composed, searching for the drawing beneath the mesh only to discover in amazement that the mesh is the portrait.

Mekasha's unique works are no visual illusion and can be viewed obliquely from any angle. The shadows of the trimmed and superimposed overlapping layers of wire mesh shifts as the viewer’s perspective changes in a dramatic interactive play of light.

Mekasha is originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and since 2004 makes his home here in Fabulous Las Vegas. The artist’s breathtaking wholly original creations are a reflection of the multifaceted personality of his subject rendered in the wire mesh technique. The artist is also available to choreograph portrait commissions of the icon of your choice.