Ficre Ghebreyesus: Gate to the Blue

In Mangia Libro (c. 2011), a morphing land and seascape surround a boy in yellow who reads a book clutched in his hands. The figure seems to float in the dream-like composition comprising windows and passageways in the background, while a whorl of iridescent green in the foreground hints at a body of water with rich biodiversity emerging from its surface. A reference to Eritrean textiles conveyed through a vibrant checkerboard pattern is slightly hidden towards the side. The work’s title “mangia libro” means “book-eater” in Italian. Having been Ghebreyesus’s nickname as a child, the painting commemorates the promising student whose education was halted by war.