Engdaye Lemma was born and raised in Desse City, Ethiopia. His interest in visual art was cultivated at the Alle School of Fine Arts and Design where he received his Bachelors of Fine Arts and was part of the school’s first print-making cohort. Lemma now teaches at the School of Fine Arts and collaborates with several of his former teachers.
Lemma’s experimental print-making practice synthesises screen-printing, painting and collage media. Exploring the multiple ways in which life and culture intertwine, his works are rigorous interrogations of the textures of society. He is inspired by ethnography whilst also taking seriously art’s power to bridge the gap between knowledge and lived experience.
Lemma, who lives and works in Addis Ababa, takes as his subject city life. He often reflects on the ways in which public space and private space overlap in urban environments. The visual density of his works speaks to the everyday chaos of life in the city: the rapid pace of change and movement, the blurred boundaries of individuality and collectivity, the clashing yet rhythmic sounds and the sudden leftover objects and marks. Lemma reflects on society and humanity, as he himself, always present in his work, navigates life, meaning and existence.
Select solo and dual exhibitions include; We Belong to Time, Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi (2025); Floating Souls, Addis Fine Art, London, UK (2024); and LET’S AGREE TO DISAGREE, Christine X Art Gallery, Sliema, Malta (2023). Group exhibitions include Connected Threads, Addis Fine Art, NADA Space, New York, USA (2024); Eastern Voices: Contemporary Artists from East Africa, Addis Fine Art, London, UK (2023); and Expansive Corridor, Modern Art Museum Gebre Kristos Desta Centre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2022). He has also participated in major art fairs such as Liste Art Fair with Addis Fine Art, Basel, Switzerland (2025) and 1-54 Contemporary Art Fair London with Addis Fine Art (2024).
