Ungrounded and Illuminated: The Artistic Visions of Ezana Girma
‘When that happens, when the first feeling finds its place on the canvas and the painting starts to feel alive, it’s like a big release, a burst of energy, like when a song finally hits its high point and feels really good.‘
– Your work features a lot of landscape and architecture, why is that so?
My artistic interest in landscape and architecture is directly influenced by my childhood in Addis Ababa, a vibrant city often called the ‘heart of Africa.’ My early environment was defined by the distinctive visual language of corrugated metal roofs and densely clustered residential dwellings.In particular, my family home was situated near Merkato, the nation’s bigger marketplace. I regularly observed the daily people moving or returning to their tightly packed homes in the evening. This experience sparked my imagination, prompting me to contemplate the lives and experiences contained within these compact living spaces. I believe this is the origin of the recurring motif of stacked and interconnected housing in my artwork. These works aim to transcend mere architectural representation. I endeavour to capture the essence of urban life in Addis Ababa, emphasizing the sense of community and shared experience that arises from close proximity. The architectural forms serve as a visual manifestation of the social dynamics and human interactions that characterise the city’s unique urban fabric.
– Describe your state of mind when you start a new painting?
Before I even touch the brush to the canvas, my mind feels still and quiet, like it’s waiting for something to shake it up. It usually starts with one little touch, and I start to follow it, like humming a tune. I really love Jazz music, those first ideas often feel like lines in my head sometimes sharp and straight like a high note, other times smooth and stretched out like a low sound. These imaginary lines and shapes sometimes make me want to quickly draw them down, like writing down a song I just heard in my head. But it’s not always a straight line from that first idea to the finished painting. Weird little shapes and figures that I can’t quite make out keep popping up in my mind, it’s like wandering through my own thoughts, letting these fuzzy ideas come and go, until one of them finally feels solid and right. When that happens, when the first feeling finds its place on the canvas and the painting starts to feel alive, it’s like a big release, a burst of energy, like when a song finally hits its high point and feels really good.
– What does being a visual artist mean to you?
Being a visual artist, to me, means more than just creating it is about bringing my thoughts, imagination, and dreams to life through various artistic forms. Whether through the delicate strokes of a drawing, the rich textures of mixed media painting, or the endless possibilities of other creative mediums, my art becomes a language of expression. It allows me to translate emotions, ideas, and unseen visions into something tangible, inviting others to see the world through my perspective.
– What life experiences have shaped your work as an artist?
Growing up in a dramatic and visually rich environment may have been the foundation of my artistic journey, but my experiences have shaped my perspective in profound ways. I worked as a seaman while ago and it’s allowed me to travel across continents, witnessing diverse landscapes, cultures, and ever-changing skies.
I came to see that the sky is never just a sky, and sunlight is far more than just light it carries moods, stories, and a unique presence in every place. Settling in the UK marked the beginning of another chapter, adding new layers to my vision and artistic expression. Each phase of my journey has broadened my understanding of the world, deepening my appreciation for light, form, and the emotions tied to different environments. These experiences continue to inspire my work, allowing me to translate these ever-shifting perspectives into my art.
– You draw building and architecture in general in a 3d manner, how did this style come about?
My journey into drawing buildings in 3D wasn’t something that happened overnight it was a path paved with exploration and discovery. In the beginning, my artistic style was different techniques. But everything changed when I explored into digital media, I have done my degree on digital media under the social science faculty. As I prepared my skills in digital creation, my perception of space transformed. My vision became tangible forms, standing solid and weighty, casting shadows, catching light. I began to understand how structures breathe within their surroundings how perspective, depth, and illumination bring them to life.
– Tell us about the ungrounded series.
I call this series “Ungrounded” because it captures a feeling I can’t shake—the sense that we are drifting, suspended in a world where ideas soar endlessly through the night, only to wake distorted by the weight of uncertainty. We live in an age where knowledge rises like a relentless tide, vast and shimmering, yet I find myself questioning: Does it truly rest on a solid foundation, or is it an illusion of wisdom? This thought pulls me into a space where gravity feels absent, where I am neither here nor there, just floating walking on air, untethered.
Through this series, I explore that sensation of being in between knowing and not knowing, between the ground and the sky, between clarity and a fog of endless information. Ungrounded allows me to express these ideas through metaphor. For example, the windows of a house become more than architectural elements they symbolize sources of light, and light itself represents wisdom. The size of a window, then, speaks to the depth of a society’s understanding of the world. A small window suggests a narrow view, while a wide opening invites illumination, knowledge pouring in freely. These symbols weave through my work, shaping a visual language that questions what it truly means to see and to understand. (I may have deeper meanings that can only be revealed over time. 😉 )
– What’s the most bizarre source of inspiration that’s sparked a masterpiece in your work over the years?
It is a curious thing, this wellspring of creativity, often bubbling up from the most unexpected places. For me, it was the enigmatic interaction between the constructs of society and the uncultivated forces of nature.
– Do you think you can sketch sound?
Certainly, yes. Every artwork hums with its own symphony, woven through the rhythm of its lines and the character of its colours. My art is not silent, it sings through its forms, vibrates through its textures, and breathes in the spaces between. To me, every canvas holds an unheard song, waiting for the right eyes to listen.
-Last but not least, what color is the number ‘7’ to you? Please justify your answer.
I come from a deeply spiritual family, so my perspective may differ from others. The number 7, often seen as a symbol of completion, wholeness, divine connection, and spiritual awakening, holds deep meaning in sacred texts. To me, it is not just a number it is a colour, a feeling. It manifests as a vast, calm blue, infused with whispers of indigo.
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