African Artist Expresses Spirituality in His Work

Two exhibits are on display at the Columbia City Gallery, "No Condition is Permanent," work by Nigerian artist Eze Anamelechi and "Shelter, Inside and Out," new works by various Columbia City Gallery artists. Both exhibits will run Jan.17 through March 11.
The artists' reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan.20 at the gallery, 4864 Rainier Ave. S. Anamelechi will present "Suffering and Smiling," a musical masquerade performance at the opening.
"No Condition is Permanent" features wood block prints and paintings by Anamelechi. Though he resides in Seattle, his work remains tied to his homeland; his mixed media images depict both traditional and Igbo culture and modern-day Africa.
A self-taught artist, Anamelechi communicates through an art form he calls "communal interactive installations." The Igbos refer to it as "mgbe"-moment, where art, ritual, myth, nature, healing and community converge to connect the living, spiritually, to the ancestors and the earth. Anamelechi describes his expressions as "living art, or art for life's sake," and says his work is intended to "affect people and is meant to be imbedded indelibly like a tattoo on the soul."
The main gallery presents "Shelter, Inside and Out," which brings together gallery artists in a show about living spaces. The innovative photography of Tara McDermott portrays a fascinating world of houses and landscapes set at challenging angles in varying degrees of sharp and smart focus. Stephanie Dickie's gentle, often whimsical, prints and encaustics evoke warm reminiscences of "hearth and home."
Mark Ditzler works with fused glass in sumptuous, intense colors to create both functional and decorative pieces for the home. Included will be his signature dichroitic glass-finish hanging panels, utilitarian vessels of many shapes and glass basins for the vanity. Hannah Voss polishes up visions of home in crisp, bright enamel panels.
The gallery is open noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
The Columbia City Gallery is one of the arts programs of SouthEast Effective Development. Established in 1999, this lively arts cooperative has become the hub of visual arts in Southeast Seattle.