Mulugeta Tafesse’s Inside Track

Belgium-based prominent Ethiopian artist Mulugeta Tafesse returns to Addis Ababa this week with a big, audacious show of vibrant, colour-drenched drawings at the LeLa Art Gallery. Called Inside Track, the exhibition will open on 11 June at 3 pm for a run of almost two weeks.
Born in 1960, Mulugeta attended the Fine Arts School of Addis Ababa, graduating in 1980 and then teaching at the School for the next two years. He obtained his Masters from the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria, followed up by a postgraduate degree graduating from the National Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp (Belgium), and finally receiving his PhD from La Laguna University in Spain, where he graduated with honors, according to the Gallery.
Based in Antwerp since 1994, Mulugeta has worked in various mediums, including acrylics, oil, and print, winning critical acclaim and exhibiting internationally in both groups and solo shows. His work can be found in numerous public and private collections.
“Even if the yearning for an enlightened environment is to be imagined, although nonsensically, still, to paint is vital. I(less accurately) imitate reality, in a photographic sense. The range of choices Realism presents calmly excites me. I’m trying to register or reveal those,” the artist said.