In The Weight of the Unseen, currently on show at Village Market Rooftop Gallery, Tibeb Sirak explores the quiet burden of memory, survival, and identity. His works hold a layered presence where figures emerge as both fragile and unyielding, bound by patterns that carry the histories of endurance.

Tibeb Sirak’s work profoundly explores his Somali heritage alongside the broader human experience. Rooted in the cultural traditions of Ethiopia and Somalia, Sirak delves into the significance of patterns and their universal meanings. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant artistic heritage of the Somali community, he seamlessly blends symbolism and expressionism, reflecting the rich visual and emotional landscapes of his background
Sirak’s pieces intertwine elements from both Ethiopian and Somali cultures, showcasing the intricate connections between cultural symbols and personal experiences. He invites viewers to appreciate the beauty and complexity of cultural patterns, bridging past and present, tradition and innovation, while highlighting the shared human experiences that unite us.
Growing up in Somalia, Sirak was immersed in the visual patterns of East African heritage. He states,
“The textiles, the jewelry making, and traditional art forms that surrounded me have informed my visual language.”
He aims to preserve and reinterpret these patterns, creating a dialogue that reveals.

Silence in these works is not emptiness but density, a space heavy with what has been endured yet remains unspoken. The figures do not shout; they persist. They wear what was survived, refusing erasure, becoming vessels of both struggle and dignity.

Philosophy and poetry resonate through the surfaces, yet are always filtered through lived experience. Patterns act as shields and scars, repetitions that protect even as they reveal. They bind past and present together, reminding us that what is unseen still shapes and anchors existence.

The Weight of the Unseen invites us to look beyond appearances. To see the invisible forces of history, silence, and resilience that press upon bodies and memories. To witness endurance not as a static condition, but as a state of burning and blooming at once.

The artist has shared some of the meaning behind his pieces, providing insight into his creative process:

The Fire and the Rose, Woodcut print and acrylic on canvas, 60x85cm, 2025

‘This piece sits in that silence. Wearing what was endured, not hidden. Half-machine, half-memory. Still, upright. Held by pattern, watched by gold. I was thinking of Eliot’s line: ‘The fire and the rose are one”. Maybe this is what it means to burn and bloom at once’. 

Beyond the Self, 2025, woodcut print and acrylic on canvas, 140x100cm, 2025

‘A body draped in memory, its face no longer asking, only knowing. It stands at the edge of form, where patterns become prayer and silence becomes voice. It is not a person but the shadow of surrender, rising toward the unseen’. 

See Also
June Art Guide

Kefi, 2025, Woodcut print and acrylic on Canvas, 140cm×110cm, 2025

‘The spirit of joy, enthusiasm, and high spirits – a vibrant frenzy in which the passion for life and good times is expressed through boundless excitement, happiness, and fun’.

What the heart carries, 2025, Woodcut print and acrylic on canvas, 65x75cm, 2025

‘The vessel becomes a symbol of memory not as something held in the hands, but in the body itself. Beneath the patterns and silence, the heart endures as both burden and light, carrying what time cannot erase’.

The Weight of the Unseen | Tibeb Sirak | Curated by Tewasart & Patrons | Village Market Rooftop Gallery (Old Wing) | Until 27 October

You can find an online catalogue via this link.