15–22 April 2026
Golla Art Gallery Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Golla Art Gallery Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Invitation to the Opening of the AWAA Exhibition & Awards Ceremony
Opening:
14 April 2026
14 April 2026
Location:
Golla Art Gallery Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Golla Art Gallery Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Exhibition dates:
15–22 April 2026
15–22 April 2026
Golla Art Gallery, Her Voice Foundation, and I-A Gallery Russia are pleased to invite you to the opening of the exhibition and awards ceremony presenting the finalists and winners of the African Women in Art Award (AWAA) 2025.
About the exhibition
The African Women in Art Award is a visual art competition created to highlight the exceptional talent of women artists from Sub-Saharan Africa. The 2025 edition brings together more than 40 artists from over 10 countries, including Angola, Rwanda, Zambia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa.
United by the theme “Initiation,” the artists explore transformation, identity, cultural heritage, and personal journeys through contemporary visual language. The exhibition presents works by the finalists and winners of AWAA 2025, celebrating the diversity and creative voices of women artists across the African continent.
We warmly invite you to join us for this special evening celebrating the achievements of African women artists.
Senafkish Zeleke
"Coming and going"
Coming and Going explores the transient nature of life, movement, and human experiences.
Through abstract forms and layered textures, the painting evokes a sense of passage—moments of arrival, departure, and the flow in between.
The interplay of colors and dynamic brushstrokes reflects the rhythm of change, suggesting both uncertainty and continuity. This work invites viewers to contemplate the cycles of life and the emotions tied to journeys, both physical and metaphorical.
Through abstract forms and layered textures, the painting evokes a sense of passage—moments of arrival, departure, and the flow in between.
The interplay of colors and dynamic brushstrokes reflects the rhythm of change, suggesting both uncertainty and continuity. This work invites viewers to contemplate the cycles of life and the emotions tied to journeys, both physical and metaphorical.
"Radiance of a new dawn"
This abstract composition captures the spirit of new beginnings and the promise of a luminous future.
With bold strokes, vibrant hues, and dynamic geometric forms, the painting evokes the energy of renewal that comes with the New Year. Circles, radiant bursts, and layered patterns symbolize cycles of time, continuity, and growth, while the interplay of warm and cool tones suggests harmony between past experiences and future aspirations.
The work invites viewers to reflect on the endless possibilities that lie ahead, embracing optimism, transformation, and the light of new opportunities.
With bold strokes, vibrant hues, and dynamic geometric forms, the painting evokes the energy of renewal that comes with the New Year. Circles, radiant bursts, and layered patterns symbolize cycles of time, continuity, and growth, while the interplay of warm and cool tones suggests harmony between past experiences and future aspirations.
The work invites viewers to reflect on the endless possibilities that lie ahead, embracing optimism, transformation, and the light of new opportunities.
"Feeling"
Our feeling is changing many times in a day, happiness, sadness and sometimes we are crying and laughing as the same time, so I want to show these feelings by using colours and technically arrangements on my canvas.
"Women"
Women are a mother ,a sister, a daughter. Wife and source of family also a country.
I know all these as a mother, a wife how responsible for the family. Like day and night Like sun and moon changing by their turn.
I know all these as a mother, a wife how responsible for the family. Like day and night Like sun and moon changing by their turn.
Vetutekule Shikongo
"SIN WAS JUST A WORD"
Episode 1: “What if love was holy and war was obscene?”
A white woman and a black woman lie side by side, wrapped in Oshiwambo cloth. Their fingers touch softly while smoke rises from a clay pot beside them. The air feels calm but heavy, filled with unspoken words. It is the silence that comes from rules they never agreed to follow.
This piece explores the tenderness of forbidden love and questions why women must keep defending love that already feels pure. The clay pot symbolises cleansing, while the smoke represents what society calls sin leaving the body. It is about intimacy that exists without apology, where two souls meet beyond skin.
Theme: Desire and freedom
A white woman and a black woman lie side by side, wrapped in Oshiwambo cloth. Their fingers touch softly while smoke rises from a clay pot beside them. The air feels calm but heavy, filled with unspoken words. It is the silence that comes from rules they never agreed to follow.
This piece explores the tenderness of forbidden love and questions why women must keep defending love that already feels pure. The clay pot symbolises cleansing, while the smoke represents what society calls sin leaving the body. It is about intimacy that exists without apology, where two souls meet beyond skin.
Theme: Desire and freedom
"THE BODY KNOWS THE TRUTH"
Episode 2: THE BODY KNOWS THE TRUTH
“Maybe we should love somebody. Maybe we could care a little more.”
A young Ovambo woman stands in front of a mirror wearing traditional shells and beads over her skin. Her reflection shows an older version of herself, calm, wise, and unshaken. On the wall behind her are words written: holy, dirty, mother, sin. She looks at them and smiles, realising she does not belong to those labels.
This artwork speaks about the quiet revolution of self-acceptance. It is about the moment a woman realises her body is not a battlefield but a story of survival. The mirror becomes her witness, and represents self-love finally breaking through shame.
Theme: Body and confidence
“Maybe we should love somebody. Maybe we could care a little more.”
A young Ovambo woman stands in front of a mirror wearing traditional shells and beads over her skin. Her reflection shows an older version of herself, calm, wise, and unshaken. On the wall behind her are words written: holy, dirty, mother, sin. She looks at them and smiles, realising she does not belong to those labels.
This artwork speaks about the quiet revolution of self-acceptance. It is about the moment a woman realises her body is not a battlefield but a story of survival. The mirror becomes her witness, and represents self-love finally breaking through shame.
Theme: Body and confidence
"MILK AND CIGARETTES"
Episode 3: MILK AND CIGARETTES
“We can heal each other and fill each other. We can break these walls between each other.”
Two Ovambo women sit at a wooden table, one pouring Oshikundu (a traditional oshiwambo drink) while the other lights a cigarette. Between them lies a small child’s shoe, forgotten but full of memory. They speak about love, loss, and the parts of themselves they had to hide. There is no sadness in their faces, only peace that comes from truth.
This piece celebrates women who dare to be soft even after being told to be strong. It talks about motherhood, pleasure, and the beauty of imperfection. The shoe symbolises life that keeps moving forward, while the smoke shows stories that drift and fade but never disappear.
Theme: Sensuality and truth
“We can heal each other and fill each other. We can break these walls between each other.”
Two Ovambo women sit at a wooden table, one pouring Oshikundu (a traditional oshiwambo drink) while the other lights a cigarette. Between them lies a small child’s shoe, forgotten but full of memory. They speak about love, loss, and the parts of themselves they had to hide. There is no sadness in their faces, only peace that comes from truth.
This piece celebrates women who dare to be soft even after being told to be strong. It talks about motherhood, pleasure, and the beauty of imperfection. The shoe symbolises life that keeps moving forward, while the smoke shows stories that drift and fade but never disappear.
Theme: Sensuality and truth
"THE FIRE UNDER THE CLOTH"
Episode 4: THE FIRE UNDER THE CLOTH
“Maybe we can take the time to understand another woman’s cry.”
A woman dances in her Oshiwambo attire, her chest glowing with light that looks like fire. Around her, the elders are frozen in black and white, but she burns in full colour. Her movement is wild yet graceful, as if she is calling her ancestors to watch her become herself.
This artwork is about rediscovery. It speaks about a woman who no longer performs for approval but dances for healing. The fire represents her spirit that was never lost, only hidden. The contrast between colour and grayscale shows the clash between old expectations and new freedom.
Theme: Power and rebirth
“Maybe we can take the time to understand another woman’s cry.”
A woman dances in her Oshiwambo attire, her chest glowing with light that looks like fire. Around her, the elders are frozen in black and white, but she burns in full colour. Her movement is wild yet graceful, as if she is calling her ancestors to watch her become herself.
This artwork is about rediscovery. It speaks about a woman who no longer performs for approval but dances for healing. The fire represents her spirit that was never lost, only hidden. The contrast between colour and grayscale shows the clash between old expectations and new freedom.
Theme: Power and rebirth
Lesego Seoketsa
"I took it personally"
76.2 x 61 cm
2000$
76.2 x 61 cm
2000$
"Tea in Malibu"
91.3 x 76 cm
3000$
91.3 x 76 cm
3000$
"Golden Ratio"
48 x 65.3 cm
1700$
1700$
Joyce Joshua Effiong
"The path we share"
The Path We Share' reflects the deeper narrative captured in this scene. My brushwork and composition bring out not just the physical act of walking down a rural path, but a shared story of labor, connection, and purpose. Each figure, while distinct in movement and appearance, is bound by the same journey—carrying water, an essential resource for life, much like the community bonds that sustain us.
The light, texture, and positioning of the figures are intentional. The dominant figure in the foreground, with her patterned skirt, leads the viewer’s eye but remains connected to the others through the rhythm of repeated gestures, colours, and the winding path. That path, stretching forward and back, is more than just a road—it’s a shared experience, a symbol of collective effort and unity.
By titling it "The Path We Share," I invite the viewer to see beyond the individual, to focus on the collective journey these figures represent. It is a tribute to community, resilience, and the unseen but deeply felt connections that guide us through life’s shared burdens and triumphs.
The light, texture, and positioning of the figures are intentional. The dominant figure in the foreground, with her patterned skirt, leads the viewer’s eye but remains connected to the others through the rhythm of repeated gestures, colours, and the winding path. That path, stretching forward and back, is more than just a road—it’s a shared experience, a symbol of collective effort and unity.
By titling it "The Path We Share," I invite the viewer to see beyond the individual, to focus on the collective journey these figures represent. It is a tribute to community, resilience, and the unseen but deeply felt connections that guide us through life’s shared burdens and triumphs.
"Ufan"
''Friends" captures the raw essence of childhood joy, trust, and companionship. The painting depicts two boys immersed in playful interaction, one carrying the other on his back as they wade through the water. Their radiant expressions and laughter highlight the uninhibited happiness found in simple, everyday moments.
The setting, a sunlit stream, reinforces the natural connection between the subjects and their environment. The golden reflections in the water suggest warmth, nostalgia, and the carefree nature of youth. The red slippers they hold add a subtle yet striking contrast, symbolizing both spontaneity and the freedom of childhood adventures.
This piece is a celebration of camaraderie and shared experiences. The act of one child carrying the other represents not just playfulness but also the deeper themes of support and togetherness. It speaks to the universal language of friendship, where joy is amplified when experienced together, and burdens feel lighter when shared.
The setting, a sunlit stream, reinforces the natural connection between the subjects and their environment. The golden reflections in the water suggest warmth, nostalgia, and the carefree nature of youth. The red slippers they hold add a subtle yet striking contrast, symbolizing both spontaneity and the freedom of childhood adventures.
This piece is a celebration of camaraderie and shared experiences. The act of one child carrying the other represents not just playfulness but also the deeper themes of support and togetherness. It speaks to the universal language of friendship, where joy is amplified when experienced together, and burdens feel lighter when shared.