Awol Erizku

(American/Ethiopian, born 1988)

Awol Erizku is an Ethiopian-born American artist known for his staged portraits of African Americans and appropriation-based practice. Reminiscent of both David Hammons and Richard Prince, Erizku’s sculptural installations and photography meld canonical Western artworks with assemblages lifted from African culture, gang markings, and vernacular objects. “I treat my Instagram account like a gallery—I keep it private and then from 9 to 5, Monday or Tuesday through Friday, like gallery hours, that’s when it’s public,” he said of his approach to creating art. “It’s in line with what I do anyways, which is kind of like using readymades in the 21st century.” Born in 1988 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he grew up in the Bronx neighborhood of New York before attending Cooper Union where he graduated in 2010. Receiving his MFA from the Yale School of Art in 2014, the artist had his first solo exhibition the same year “The Only Was is Up” at Hasted Kaeutler gallery in New York. In 2017, it was discovered that Erizku was behind the famous photographs released on Instagram of Beyoncé, first several months pregnant and later posed with her twin infant sons. The artist currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.

Awol Erizku News

How Does a Gallery Get Into Art Basel?

by Eileen Kinsella

How Does a Gallery Get Into Art Basel?

A Stunning Show of Portraits by Barkley Hendricks Has Opened at the Frick, Where the Artist Was Once Inspired by Old Masters

by Eileen Kinsella

A Stunning Show of Portraits by Barkley Hendricks Has Opened at the Frick, Where the Artist Was Once Inspired by Old Masters

Art & Exhibitions

Artists to Watch This Month: 10 Solo Gallery Exhibitions to Seek Out in September in New York

by Annikka Olsen

Artists to Watch This Month: 10 Solo Gallery Exhibitions to Seek Out in September in New York

Awol Erizku Artworks

Awol Erizku (17 results)

Heads, 2013

Awol Erizku

Sale Date: April 4, 2024

Auction Closed

Malcolm X Freestyle (Pharaoh's Dance), 2019–2020

Awol Erizku

Malcolm X Freestyle (Pharaoh's Dance), 2019–2020

Sale Date: December 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Arrangement for the historians who’ve..., 2018–2020

Awol Erizku

Arrangement for the historians who’ve..., 2018–2020

Sale Date: November 15, 2023

Auction Closed

Hammer, Stick, Same thang, 2017

Awol Erizku

Hammer, Stick, Same thang, 2017

Sale Date: July 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Out yo way - Migos, 2017

Awol Erizku

Out yo way - Migos, 2017

Sale Date: September 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Do This' - HoodRich Pablo Juan, 2017

Awol Erizku

Do This' - HoodRich Pablo Juan, 2017

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

Auction Closed

Boy Holding Grapes., 2012

Awol Erizku

Boy Holding Grapes., 2012

Sale Date: March 31, 2022

Auction Closed

The Only Good Pig is a Dead Pig | 唯一的好豬是死豬, 2018

Awol Erizku

The Only Good Pig is a Dead Pig | 唯一的好豬是死豬, 2018

Sale Date: September 21, 2021

Auction Closed

Dreams and Nostalgia I, 2014

Awol Erizku

Dreams and Nostalgia I, 2014

Sale Date: March 3, 2021

Auction Closed

'Do This' - HoodRich Pablo Juan, 2017

Awol Erizku

'Do This' - HoodRich Pablo Juan, 2017

Sale Date: May 27, 2020

Auction Closed

WB (Warn a Brotha), 2017

Awol Erizku

WB (Warn a Brotha), 2017

Sale Date: April 23, 2020

Auction Closed

WB (Warn a Brotha), 2017

Awol Erizku

WB (Warn a Brotha), 2017

Sale Date: November 13, 2019

Auction Closed

Yo Shawty, let me holla at you real quick, 2015

Awol Erizku

Yo Shawty, let me holla at you real quick, 2015

Sale Date: October 31, 2019

Auction Closed

Say It Here, While It's Safe, 2015

Awol Erizku

Say It Here, While It's Safe, 2015

Sale Date: September 24, 2019

Auction Closed

Tell Me The Price, 2017

Awol Erizku

Tell Me The Price, 2017

Sale Date: February 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Teen Venus, 2013

Awol Erizku

Teen Venus, 2013

Sale Date: September 7, 2017

Auction Closed

Girl with a Bamboo Earring, 2009

Awol Erizku

Girl with a Bamboo Earring, 2009

Sale Date: April 4, 2017

Auction Closed

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English (US)

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