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About

Tariku Shiferaw (b. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) is a New York-based artist who explores the concept of ‘mark-making’ to address the physical, social, and political spaces of art and societal constructs. A select list of institutions where Shiferaw has exhibited includes the Whitney Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, The Drawing Center (NY), Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt (Germany), Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, California African American Museum, Zuckerman Museum of Art (GA), Museum of the African Diaspora (CA), and Smack Mellon (NY). Shiferaw has participated in the Independent Study Program at the Whitney Museum of American Art and in Open Sessions at The Drawing Center. He has also been an artist-in-residence at the LES Studio Program, Silver Art Projects, ARCAthens (Greece), Experimental Print Residency at Lafayette College, Vermont College of Fine Arts, and Hermitage Artist Fellowship. In 2026 he will participate in the Joyner/Giuffrida Visiting Artist Program at the Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV. He is represented by Galerie Lelong & Co. in New York, NY.

Selected Works

This image depicts an artwork by Tariku Shiferaw titled "There Are Other Suns." This artwork was created in 2025 and measures 30" x 30" x 3 ¹⁄₂" [HxWxD] (76.2 x 76.2 x 8.89 cm). Its medium is Acrylic, canvas, ceramic, brass, cloth, mylar, iridescent film, wood.
Tariku Shiferaw
“There Are Other Suns,” 2025
This image depicts an artwork by Tariku Shiferaw titled "Tezeta (Mulatu Astatke)." This artwork was created in 2025 and measures 72" x 60" x 2" [HxWxD] (182.88 x 152.4 x 5.08 cm). Its medium is Acrylic on canvas.
Tariku Shiferaw
“Tezeta (Mulatu Astatke),” 2025
This image depicts an artwork by Tariku Shiferaw titled "Defiant Imaginations." This artwork was created in 2025 and measures 60" x 60" x 2" [HxWxD] (152.4 x 152.4 x 5.08 cm). Its medium is Acrylic on canvas.
Tariku Shiferaw
“Defiant Imaginations,” 2025

Exhibitions

Lives and works in New York, NY
2019
Whitney Museum of American Art, Independent Study Program, New York, NY
2015
MFA, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY
2007
BFA, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2025
"Spotlight: Tariku Shiferaw, Defiant Imaginations" Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (forthcoming)
"Maps and Borders," New York Print Center, New York, NY
2023
"Marking Oneself in Dark Places," Galerie Lelong & Co. New York, NY
"Making Space: One of These Black Boys," curated by Storm Ascher, Southampton African American Museum, Southampton, NY
2021
"It’s a love thang, it’s a joy thang," Galerie Lelong & Co. New York, NY
2018
"This Ain’t Safe," Cathouse Proper, Brooklyn, NY
2017
"Erase Me," Addis Fine Art, London, UK
"One of These Black Boys," Anthony Philip Fine Art, Brooklyn, NY

Selected Group Exhibitions

2025
"Summer Reads," curated by Grace Hong, Galerie Lelong, New York, NY
"The Abstract Future," curated by Alia Dahl, Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles, CA
2024
"Imagining Black Diasporas: 21st Century Art and Poetics," curated by Dhyandra Lawson, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
"Midsommar", Bodé Gallery, Berlin, Germany
"Coalescent Lights," curated by Kami Gahiga, 1-54 at Christie’s, Hong Kong
2023
"Spectrum: On Color & Contemporary Art," curated by Key Jo Lee, Museum of The African Diaspora, San Francisco, CA
"The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century", co-organized by Asma Naeem, Dorothy Wagner Wallis, Hannah Klemm, and Andréa Purnell, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD (Travelled to: St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO (2023))
"Color Coded," curated by Dexter Wimberly, Bodé Projects, Berlin, Germany
"A Love Letter to LA," Superposition Gallery in collaboration with Phillips Auction House, Los Angeles, CA
"Ümwelt," curated by Jonny Niesche, Starkwhite, Auckland, New Zealand
"The Oyster is Your World," Coma Gallery, Sydney, Australia
"Color Effects," Galerie Lelong & Co, New York, NY
2022
"You'd Think By Now," curated by Rachel Vera Steinberg, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
"Geometries," curated by Damien Davis, Sugar Hill Museum, New York, NY
"What You See Is What You Get," MASSIMODECARLO, Milan, Italy
"Summer of Possibilities," curated by Alteronce Gumby, Bode Projects, Berlin, Germany
"DIGS," curated by Kim Donaldson and Sean Lowry, Project8, Melbourne, Australia
"Resilience," curated by Storm Ascher, Eastville Community Historical Society, Hamptons, NY
"What is Past is Prologue," 21cMuseum Hotel, Louisville, KY
"In Spite of Modernism: Contemporary Art, Abstract Legacies, and Identity, Curated by Haley Clouser, Arlington Art Center, Arlington, VA
"Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth.," Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Organized by The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, Baltimore, MD
2021
"Witness: African Diaspora," Piero Atchugarry, Miami, FL
"From Modern to Contemporary," CFHill Art Space, Stockholm, Sweden
2020
"Abstraction in the Black Diaspora," False Flag Projects, co-curated by Ayanna Dozier and Tariku Shiferaw, Queens, NY
"Unbound," Zuckerman Museum of Art, curated by Nzinga Simmons, Kennesaw, GA
"Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth.," California African American Museum (CAAM), Organized by The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, Los Angeles, CA
"BLACK VOICES/BLACK MICROCOSM," CF Hill, curated by Destinee Ross, Stockholm, Sweden
"A Muffled Sound Underwater," Latchkey Gallery, New York, NY
2019
"Implied Body," Assembly Room, Curated by Emily Alesandrini, New York, NY
"Wu-Tang Clan X Absolute Art," Curated by Oliver “Power” Grant and Diya Vij, New York, NY
"Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth.," National Underground Railroad, Organized by The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, Cincinnati, OH
"What’s love got to do with it," The Drawing Center, curated by Lisa Sigal and Rosario Güiraldes, New York, NY
"6 Plus 1: Featuring Tariku Shiferaw," Hammond Harkins Galleries, Columbus, OH
2018
"To Dream Avant-Garde," Hammond Harkins Galleries, curated by Alteronce Gumby, Columbus, OH
"Without Qualities," Organized by Alaina Simone, Addis Fine Art, New York, NY
"Hyphen America, Gallery 102," curated by Tsedaye Makonnen and Alexandra Delafkaran, Washington, D.C.
"People I Love Who Are Far Away," E.Tay Gallery, curated by Christina Papanicola and Gina Malek, New York, NY
"Into Action," Organized by For Freedoms, Los Angeles, CA
"The Paddock III: Postedto Paris," Organized by the Paddock group, Galerie Abstract Project, Paris, France
2017
"A Poet*hical Wager," Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, Curated by Andria Hickey, Cleveland, OH
"2017 Whitney Biennial," Whitney Museum of American Art, part of Occupy Museums’ Debtfair, Curated by Mia Locks and Christopher Lew, New York, NY
"Black Magic: AfroPasts/AfroFutures," Honfleur gallery, curated by Niama Sandy, Washington, DC
"Leaving Home: Cathouse FUNeral Migrates North," curated by David Dixon, Beacon, NY
"Woe-nderland," Art in Flux Artfairs, Curated by Henone Girma, New York, NY
"Hard Cry, Lubov," Curated by Gabriel H. Sanchez, New York, NY
2016
"Life Sized," Anthony Philip Fine Art, Curated by Anthony Philip, Brooklyn, NY
"Introductions 2016," Trestle Gallery, Curated by Jim Osman, Brooklyn, NY
2015
"Off Pink", Parsons MFA Thesis Exhibition, The Kitchen, curated by Tina Kukielski, New York, NY
"New Work New York, 1st MFA Biennial Presented by St. Nicks Alliance & Arts@Renaissance," curated by Kat Griefen, Brooklyn, NY
2013
"States of Becoming," 25 East Gallery, curated by Rujuta Rao and Lilly Handley, New York, NY

Residencies & Studio Programs

2025
Hermitage Artist Residency, Manasota, FL
2023
Experimental Print Residency at Lafayette College, Easton, PA
Arc-Athens artist residency, Athens, Greece
2022
Silver Art artist residency at the WTC, New York, NY
2020
LES Studio Program, New York, NY
Open Sessions, The Drawing Center, New York, NY
2018
Vermont College of Fine Arts, Winter Residency, Montpelier, VT

Bibliography

2025
"This momentous LACMA exhibition called for a group portrait — to the tune of Roberta Flack," LA Times, April 11
2024
Ruznic, Maja. "Tariku Shiferaw," The Brooklyn Rail, September
2023
Pierson, Jack and Lyle Rexer. "Tariku Shiferaw with Charles M. Schultz," The Brooklyn Rail, September
2022
Dozier, Ayanna. "With Spectacular Installations and Abstractions, Artists Redress Colonial Violence and History," July 5
Zornosa, Laura. "These Artists’ Hunt for Studio Space Ended at The World Trade Center," March 26
Jenkins, Mark. "In the galleries: Connecting modern abstraction with personal identity," The Washington Post, March 11
Cole, Carolyn. "The Take: The faces of Frieze LA during the art fair’s bustling 2022 opening day," LA Times, February 18
2021
Cardwell, Erica. "The Artsy Vanguard: Tariku Shiferaw," December 1
Moore, Charles. "Tariku Shiferaw: It’s a love thang, it’s a joy thang," The Brooklyn Rail, May
White, Katie. "‘Joy Can Be an Act of Resistance’: Rising-Star Artist Tariku Shiferaw on the Provocatively Happy Ideas Behind His Abstractions," ArtNet News, April 26
Mor, Ricardo. "Five Contemporary Black Artists You Should Know," Cultured, March 16
2020
Rodney, Seph. "Black Artists Claim Their Birthright of Abstraction," Hyperallergic, Dec 3
Buhe, Elizabeth. "Abstraction in the Black Diaspora," The Brooklyn Rail, November
Barré, Martin. "Transatlantique," ER Publishing
Proctoer, Rebecca Anne. "Five African artists demonstrating creative resilience in challenging times," Wallpaper*, October 10
Gerlis, Melanie. "Could the Art World’s Experiment with Online Fairs Force A Healthy Rethink?," Financial Times, April 30
Rodney, Seph. "What Does It Mean To Exhibit “Black Excellence”?," Hyperallergic, April 2
Schultz, Abby. "Contemporary Artists on Art and Society," Barron's, March 23
2019
Mitic, Ginanne Brownell. "An Ethiopian Gallery Enriches a Global Art Conversation," The NY Times, Dec 3
Tonguette, Peter. "N.Y. artist Tariku Shiferaw draws from his surroundings in Short North show," The Columbus Dispatch, April 8
Vogel, Maria. "Tariku Shiferaw Investigates Abstract Expressionism’s History," Art of Choice, February 14
2018
Goodman, Jonathan. "Tariku Shiferaw: This Ain’t Safe at Cathouse Proper," ArteFuse, April 10
Kerlidou, Gwenael. "Taking the Painter Out of Painting," Hyperallergic, January 20
2017
Sharp, Sarah Rose. "Low-Risk Aesthetics: Institutional Critique at MOCA Cleveland," Art in America, November 9
Carroll, Angela N. "Afro Pasts / Afro Futures," Bmore Art, September 14
Jenkins, Mark. "In the galleries: ‘Afrofuturism,’ defined in the moment, by nine artists," The Washington Post, September 7
Rodney, Seph. "How To Embed a Shout: A New Generation of Black Artists Contends with Abstraction," Hyperallergic, August 23
2016
Lowry, Sean. "Paratext and the world of a work in public space: Eisenbach and Mansur’s Placeholders," Academic Paper, August

Publications

2025
"Tariku Shiferaw: One of These Black Boys," Frank Publishing
2024
"Tariku Shiferaw: Marking Oneself in Dark Places," Galerie Lelong & Co. New York, NY
2020
"Martin Barré Transatlantique," edited by Molly Warnock with texts by Max Estenger, Julia Fish, Joe Fyfe, Laura Lisbon, Tariku Shiferaw, Cheyney Thompson, ER Publishing, Paris, France

Selected Talks, Lectures and Panels

2025
Panel Discussion, New York Print Center, New York, NY
Seminar, Addis Ababa University: Alle School of Fine Arts and Design, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2024
Panel Discussion, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Panel Discussion, Christies, Hong Kong
2023
Artist Lecture, Lafayette College, Easton, PA
Art, Knowledge, and Cultural Production: Conversation Between Tariku Shiferaw and Larry Ossei-Mensa, New York, NY
2022
"A Strange Place to Cast Our Dreams," panel discussion, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
Panel Discussion, 21cMuseum Hotel, Louisville, KY
Artist Lecture, Brown University, Providence, RI
Panel Discussion, Arlington Art Center, Arlington, VA
Artist Lecture, Rutgers University (VMPA), Camden, NJ
2021
Artist Lecture, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Guest speaker for "Virtual Art &Architecture Student Exhibition" at Cornell University and Syracuse University
"Abstraction: Investigations of Social Change" moderated by Seph Rodney at Galerie Lelong & Co. NY
"Let My Hair Down" conversation with Charles Moore at Galerie Lelong & Co. NY.
"Behind the Canvas: Tariku Shiferaw" conversation with Larry Ossei-Mensah on Clubhouse
"Tariku Shiferaw: Making Space" Guest lecturer at Rhode Island School of Design
"Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets," Smithsonian Institution – Anacostia Community Museum
2020
Visiting Lecture Series: Parsons The New School Fine Art MFA/BFA
"Round Table Response: Abstraction in the Black Diaspora" at False Flag
Guest Lecturer at Cornell University, Art Department
2018
Prizm Panels at Prizm Art Fair, Miami, FL
Visiting Artist lecture at Vermont College of Fine Art
2017
‘Bearden and Genealogies of Abstraction’ at Neuberger Museum of Art.
A Poet*hical Wager, panel discussion at Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland