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Author:   Dagim Abebe - September 4, 2025 Introduction   To curate Woven Memories at The Space Ethiopia - Art gallery was to enter into a silent pact with our past, the kind that linger in the frayed edges of domestic textiles, in the faded imprints of silkscreened fragments, in the deliberate imperfections of salvaged linens. Birhanu Manaye’s artwork collections enact its unsteady resurrection, demanding of me as curator complicity in a radical act of remembering. Here, the

Author: Dagim Abebe - May 31, 2025 © Tiemar Tegene, 2025. Image courtesy of the artist Tiemar’s art is a bold and uncompromising fusion of intellectual depth and raw emotional power. The meticulous care with which she prepares her plates reflects an unwavering commitment to technical mastery, while the visceral energy of her prints transcends experiential representation through what Deleuze and Guattari (1987) might call a ‘line of flight’ – a rupture from conventional visual

Author: Dagim Abebe - March 19, 2025 Introduction Art has to be considered the soul of this nation since it is a powerful mirror that reflects its history, struggles, and aspirations. In Ethiopia, a country with a cultural heritage spanning thousands of years, art has been transmitted in different forms from generation to generation, consisting of oral traditions, performance and other forms of art practice. The roles of curators are crucial in preserving, interpreting, and p

Author: Dagim Abebe - November 9, 2024 Image by the Author The opening of Bisrat Shibabaw’s solo exhibition at Moa Anbessa art studio gallery in the heart of Kazanchis is a momentous occasion, holding deep personal significance for nearly every artist and art enthusiast across Addis Ababa. Known for her vibrant and evocative style, Bisrat’s artwork has become a rare sight in local exhibitions, making this showcase an especially unique and cherished experience for the art co

Author: Senait Feseha - June 16, 2018 “I am obsessed with these women,” said Tadesse Mesfin as he pointed towards the brown skinned women with long necks and slender bodies. Tadesse is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential artists in the Ethiopian art scene. In his most recent solo exhibition entitled “Pillars of Life: The Power and Grace of Market Life”, Tadesse presented nine pieces that remain faithful to his fixation, feminine figures. The figure

Author: Tibebeselassie Tigabu - April 29, 2017 Versatility in the visual arts makes one of the experimental artists, Elizabeth Habtewold, a gifted and talented one. Her current exhibition, entitled “Erasen Be Ras,” staged from April 21 to May 21 at the Modern Art Museum: Gebrekirstos Desta Center, is a testimony to that. Seeking inspiration from sources as diverse as indigenous plants like enset and koba, photography and computer-generated animation, her work defies the limit

Author: Tibebeselassie Tigabu - Feburary 18, 2017 Genet is a painter, a collage artist and a printmaker, who creates her own paper from natural fibers including  teff . She graduated from Addis Ababa University Ale School of Fine Arts and Design in 1998. Being the only woman in her graduating class, Genet said that the university was a misogynistic space and unfavorable to women. “When I do assignments more than their expectations, they assume a male artist did my assignment

Author: Tibebeselassie Tigabu - September 24, 2016 Abstract art   uses a visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. For centuries, Ethiopian art has been dominated by Ethiopian Orthodox Church iconography. However, the status quo, through the course of time, changed and art—especially paintings—started to show alternative ways of describing visual experiences, writes

Author: Tibebeselassie Tigabu - July 23, 2016 Julie Mehretu is a critically acclaimed artist who was able to offer new insights into human existence through multi-layered architectures and abstract compositions. Her creative artworks embody a dichotomy of ancient, contemporary architectures; structure of human hierarchy and other political, social and economic commentaries. Born in 1970 from an Ethiopian father and an American mother, Julie migrated to the United States when

Author: Tibebeselassie Tigabu - June 25, 2016 Cairo, an artwork that embodies the dichotomy of the ancient, contemporary, social and political life of the capital of Egypt, received critical acclaim from the art world. Painted with ink and acrylic on canvass this piece explores the unified mass of the Egyptian revolution, ancient civilization, remnants of colonial architecture and contemporary layered architectures. This is the work of the highly-acclaimed Ethiopian American

Author: Hiwot Abebe - May 8, 2021 Zelalem Merga’s recent exhibition at the famed Guramayne Art Center escapes the bounds of the white walls, extends into the lovely garden, and transforms every inch available into a kaleidoscopic reflection of his home studio.  Zelalem, or Zola, as he’s affectionately known in his circle, has been making art since graduating from Ale School of Fine Art and Design at Addis Ababa University. Although he was trained as a painter, he’s devoted a

Author: Hiwot Abebe - February 27, 2021 “All I think about is art, that’s my life,” Eyasu Telayneh says a few hours before his exhibition opening at Alliance Ethio-Francaise. “This is my childhood dream. I knew I’d go to art school and that’s what I worked towards for years. I’m happy with this life.”  Private Reputation of Colors includes 24 abstract and semi-figurative paintings, the majority of which Eyasu produced in the past year. Strong colors and clear straight lines m

Author: Hiwot Abebe - January 30, 2021 Gestures of Mask-ulinity is a painting exhibition by Kirubel Abebe at Laphto Contemporary Art Gallery in Laphto Mall. Kirubel investigates identity and gender, presenting a version of masculinity that defies stereotypical behaviors of masculinity.  “Masculinity is often associated with behaviors like being tough and aggressive,” says Kirubel, explaining his search for a different kind of maleness. Kirubel spent three years thinking about

Author: Hiwot Abebe - January 16, 2021 Hailu Kifle’s latest works in Reflections of Seal Stamps are on view at the Alliance Ethio-Francaise exhibition space. Curator Frehiwot Demissie describes Hailu as an experimental artist who has “successfully managed to promote the apprehension of knowledge through his artistic practice and turn seal stamps into a true art form”. Frehiwot also curated his 2019 Adwa Legacy exhibition in Washington DC.  Reflections of Seal Stamps brings tw

Author: Hiwot Abebe - December 19, 2020 Tizta Berhanu is one of the youngest artists defining contemporary Ethiopian visual arts and is ready to show new works at Heber, an exhibition at Addis Fine Art.  The emotional spectrum traversed throughout Heber is wide: distance, grief and discontent are explored as much as love, intimacy and forgiveness. There is also a theme of circular composition that gives a feeling of completion to the paintings.  These new works show Tizta’s e

Author: Hiwot Abebe - November 28, 2020 Threading of Fabrics (Gungun Diroch) is Meron Hailu’s latest work currently exhibited at Guramayne Art Center. Experienced in multiple media and an experienced printmaker, Meron has focused her attention on colorful thread for these artworks. Gluing and threading yarn onto canvas, Meron has carefully contoured the landscape of her imagination, offering views into the microscopic inner workings of anatomy and hinting at a more tender wor

Author: Hiwot Abebe - November 7, 2020 Dispatches from Limbo, a group exhibition, opened this weekend at LeLa Gallery – one of the few contemporary art galleries to open doors after the COVID-19 pandemic induced shut down of businesses. Behailu Bezabih, Dawit Abebe, Eyob Kitaba, Henok Melkamzer, Nahom Teklehaimanot, Tamrat Gezahegne, and Tewodros Hagos gathered to present an exhibition of works new and old. Of course, Addis Fine Art has been open since September, presenting t

Author: Hiwot Abebe - September 5, 2020 He has specialized in the fields of fine arts and scripture. Distinguished for his historical narratives, Wendimagegn Belete has been announced as one of the shortlisted artists for the Future Generation Art Prize 2020, a biannual art prize organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation for global young artists that comes with the cash prize of USD 100,000 and with commitments to commission new works. The Foundation was established in 2006

Author: Hiwot Abebe -April 20, 2019 Visual Diary, just as the name might indicate, is a view into one’s life; more specifically DariwosHailemichael’s life. It is a selection of nearly 70 pieces Dariwos has worked on since 2015 that document the events compositions, juxtapositions, thoughts and emotions that have crossed his mind in the daily life as a resident of Addis Ababa. The exhibition at Alliance Ethio-Française opened early this week. Dariwos allows us access into the

Author: Hiwot Abebe - March 30, 2019 An exhibition of his recent workby Fikru Gebre Mariam produced since 2014 are currently on view at Alliance Ethio-Française. Opening day of Chasing Dreams, Shaping Destiny attracted one of the largest turnouts a single artist’s exhibition has garnered in Addis Ababa. Fikru describes his work as driven by an internal process that exists beyond the confines of social, economic or political aspects of everyday life. The canvases contain an in