Birhane Worede Ethiopian, b. 1998

Worede’s intimate and affective portraits are rendered in a reductive stylistic approach, grounding colour, gesture and surface quality. He sees his process as one akin to abstraction, applying oil paint on canvas in loose washy strokes and using suggestive lines and tonal shifts to define the composition, often a solitary figure in a domestic interior setting. Worede’s works also play with mood, oscillating between cool and warm palettes.

 

“Throughout my work, I expressed interest in self-discovery and the everyday occurrences of the surrounding world. Growing up, living and working as a studio artist in the biggest market place of Africa “Merkato” Addis Ababa influences my work. Human life and emotions are main inspirations… I want my work to create consciousness … self-awareness, curiosity for others’ self- examination.”

 

Worede earned his BFA with honours from the Alle School of Fine Arts in 2021 and completed a Master of Fine Art at the same institution in 2026. His work has been exhibited locally and internationally, including in Addis Ababa, Memphis, London, Johannesburg and Cape Town.He has had dual exhibitions at Montague Contemporary, New York (2026) and Chilli Art Projects, London (2024). Select group exhibitions include New Visions at Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi (2025) and Chilli Art Projects, London (2023). Art fairs include Africa Basel with Circle Art Gallery (2026) and Latitudes with Chilli Art Projects (2024). In 2026, he completed the Kwacakworo Artist Residency in Davos, Switzerland.