Michael Tsegaye

Michael Tsegaye
Born in 1977

Michael Tsegaye lives and works in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He received his diploma in painting from Addis Ababa University’s School of Fine Arts and Design in 2002, but soon gave up painting after he developed an allergy to oil paint. He subsequently found his real passion in photography and has made of it not only a profession, but a way of expressing a very particular voice. “As a photographer I try as much as possible to escape being pigeonholed. I place myself among my peers (photographers and painters) across the world. While the spirit of my culture — its traditions in music, poetry and literature — informs my photography, my goal is that of any artist: to understand my life and standpoint in the 21st century, and express these through art.”
Michael Tsegaye in Addis Ababa, is a fine art photographer who has worked extensively in Ethiopia with a focus on detailing the nation’s story. Works from his series ‘Future Memories’ which will be on view at the fair, are also currently on show at the Walther Collection Museum, Germany, as part of the ‘Recent Histories : contemporary African photography and video art’ exhibition.
‘Future Memories’ , a remarkable body of work began in 2006. As a result of rapid urban development, old neighbourhoods across Addis Ababa were being levelled to make way for the latest high rises. This body of work captures and immortalises what will— or already has— faded into the past. The series provides a tour through the Addis Michael knew and grew up in, showing an unfamiliar visitor what he has experienced. It documents the past, acting as a potent visual memorial to the fragility of many physical communities in Addis Ababa.