Aida Muluneh focuses her artistic practice on photography. Born in Ethiopia, she left the country at a young age and spent part of her formative years in Canada. It was while attending high school in Calgary, Alberta, that she was first introduced to her preferred medium. In 2008, Muluneh returned to Ethiopia to reconnect with her personal and cultural identity.
Muluneh has developed a distinct visual vocabulary. Having gained experience initially as a documentary photographer, she found herself drawn to more artistic forms of expression. Muluneh has since pursued an autobiographical photographic practice. Her surreal portraits combine strong graphics and vivid color palettes that reflect the impressions of her birth country and unique personal history.
Muluneh holds a BFA in film, radio and television from Howard University in Washington. D.C. Her work has been exhibited internationally and may be found in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C; the Museum of Biblical Art, Dallas; and the Sindika Dokolo Foundation, Berlin; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, among others. In addition to her independent work, Muluneh is founder of the Addis Foto Fest, Ethiopia’s first biennial exhibition of photography, and founder/developer of the DESTA organization (Developing and Educating Society Through Art), which focuses on encouraging cultural development through creative exchange.
Exhibition: 2017
PRESS
“Coloured skin: the body art of Aida Muluneh- in pictures”, THE GUARDIAN, 2017
