Aida Muluneh
Ethiopian photographer, artist, and cultural entrepreneur, Aïda Muluneh’s (b. 1974, Ethiopia) vibrant photographs were recently acquired by MoMA and featured in their exhibition, Being: New Photography 2018. Her works express what it is to be an African woman, to encapsulate gender and identity, and to situate it within the colonial experience. Her most recent series, Mirror of the Soul draws from the artist’s day to day experiences living in Addis Ababa, the moments of uncertainty, and the subsequent global phenomena of having to embrace unpredictability. Looking to her background as a photojournalist, Muluneh uses this foundation of visual and symbolic language and blends it with the sentiments, intensity, and passion of poetry. The title of her new series comes from a line in Nikki Giovanni’s The Laws of Motion that reads, "The eyes however are the mirror to the soul.” Giovanni’s poems inspired Muluneh to likewise share what is within her, and to share it with fearless honesty. Muluneh’s vibrant photographs express what it is to be an African woman, to encapsulate gender and identity, and to position it within the post-colonial experience. She interrogates the foreign gaze, and also raises the awareness of the impact of photography in shaping cultural perceptions.
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The Blind Gaze (The Crimson Echoes Series), 2021
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Cycles (Ethiopia) (The Road of Glory Series), 2020
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The Rain of Fire (Vietnam) (The Road of Glory Series), 2020
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The Road of Glory (Yemen) (The Road of Glory Series), 2020
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Trail of Tears (USA) (The Road of Glory Series), 2020
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When Fire Meets Desire, 2020
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The Long Road, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017
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The Laws of Motion, (Mirror of the Soul Series), 2019
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Who Knows Tomorrow, (Mirror of the Soul Series), 2019
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Within/Without, (Mirror of the Soul Series), 2019
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Love, The Contradiction of Pain, (Mirror of the Soul Series), 2019
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Addis Neger, (Mirror of the Soul Series), 2019
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Inertia, (Mirror of the Soul Series), 2019
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The Certainty of the Uncertainty, (Mirror of the Soul Series), 2019
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A Woman’s Work, (Water Life Series), 2018
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Access, (Water Life Series), 2018
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Burden of the Day, (Water Life Series), 2018
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Star Shine, Moon Glow, (Water Life Series), 2018
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Distant Echoes of Dreams, (Water Life Series), 2018
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The Meter, (Water Life Series), 2018
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Steps, (Water Life Series), 2018
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Beside the Door, (Water Life Series), 2018
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Idle Whims, (Water Life Series), 2018
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Knowing The Way to Tomorrow, (Water Life Series), 2018
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Mirage of Privilege, (Water Life Series), 2018
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The Sorrows We Bear, (Water Life Series), 2018
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Unfilled Promises, (Water Life Series), 2018
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The Amusement At The Gate, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017
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Both Sides, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017
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Compromise, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017
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Seed of the Soul, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017
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Captive Conscience - Part One, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017
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Captive Conscience - Part Two, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017
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The Long Road, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017
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The American Dream, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017
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The Mirage of Hope, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017
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Local Understanding (from the World is 9 series), 2016
Ethiopian photographer, artist, and cultural entrepreneur, Aïda Muluneh’s (b. 1974, Ethiopia) vibrant photographs were recently acquired by MoMA and featured in their exhibition, Being: New Photography 2018. Her works express what it is to be an African woman, to encapsulate gender and identity, and to situate it within the colonial experience. Her most recent series, Mirror of the Soul draws from the artist’s day to day experiences living in Addis Ababa, the moments of uncertainty, and the subsequent global phenomena of having to embrace unpredictability. Looking to her background as a photojournalist, Muluneh uses this foundation of visual and symbolic language and blends it with the sentiments, intensity, and passion of poetry. The title of her new series comes from a line in Nikki Giovanni’s The Laws of Motion that reads, "The eyes however are the mirror to the soul.” Giovanni’s poems inspired Muluneh to likewise share what is within her, and to share it with fearless honesty. Muluneh’s vibrant photographs express what it is to be an African woman, to encapsulate gender and identity, and to position it within the post-colonial experience. She interrogates the foreign gaze, and also raises the awareness of the impact of photography in shaping cultural perceptions.
Muluneh was recently featured in the exhibition Water Life at Somerset House, the cover of Departures magazine, and Being: New Photography 2018 at MoMA. Other recent exhibitions include Reflections of Hope at the Agha Khan Museum in Toronto, the Daegu Photo Biennale in South Korea, and In Their Own Form at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago. She was awarded the 2018 Catchlight Fellowship. In 2017, she participated in Afrique Capitales in Paris and in the Dakar Biennale. Muluneh founded the Addis Foto Fest, the first international photography festival in Ethiopia. She is in collections including MoMA, Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, Schomburg Center for Research on Black Culture, Toledo Museum of Art, Hood Museum, and National Gallery of Victoria, Australia.
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Entangled Gaze
Jenkins Johnson Gallery 13 Jan - 9 Mar 2024Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to present Entangled Gaze, a group exhibition featuring artists Wesaam Al-Badry, Adrian Burrell, Melissa Cooke Benson, Lalla Essaydi, Hendrik Kerstens, Aïda Muluneh, Raelis Vasquez, and Philemona Williamson.Read more -
Cyclical Bloom
Patrick Alston, Kevin Cole, Lisa Corinne Davis, Scott Fraser, Aïda Muluneh, Wycliffe Mundopa, Blessing Ngobeni, Enrico Riley, and Philemona Williamson 6 May - 24 Jun 2023Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition including artists, Patrick Alston, Kevin Cole, Lisa Corinne Davis, Scott Fraser, Aïda Muluneh, Wycliffe Mundopa, Blessing Ngobeni, Enrico Riley, and...Read more -
Reflections
Michael Eastman, Aïda Muluneh, Gordon Parks, Ming Smith, and Lissette Solórzano 11 Mar - 3 Apr 2021Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to present Reflections, a group exhibition featuring works by Michael Eastman, Aïda Muluneh, Gordon Parks, Ming Smith, and Lissette Solórzano. This collection of photography allows...Read more -
Summertime...
Harlan Mack, Devin N. Morris, Enrico Riley, and Kennedy Yanko from Jenkins Johnson Projects with works by Wesaam Al-Badry, Ben Aronson, Julia Fullerton-Batten, Lalla Essaydi, Ken Graves & Eva Lipman, Aida Muluneh, Blessing Ngobeni, Nnenna Okore, Paccarik 18 Jul - 15 Sep 2018Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to announce Summertime… , a cross-generational exhibition that brings artists from Jenkins Johnson Projects, Brooklyn into conversation with our San Francisco Gallery. This international show...Read more -
Spring Selections
Lalla Essaydi, Aida Muluneh, Nnenna Okore, Julia Fullerton-Batten, Wesaam Al-Badry, Blessing Ngobeni, Omar Victor Diop, Gordon Parks, Hendrik Kerstens, and Julian Opie 22 Mar - 12 May 2018In celebration of Women’s History Month, Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to announce Spring Selections , an exhibition of contemporary works by international artists contributing to the advancement of women's...Read more -
Humanity Today
Sadie Barnette Victor Ehikhamenor, Aida Muluneh, Carlos Javier Ortiz, Blessing Ngobeni, Gordon Parks, and Lissette Solórzano 2 Feb - 11 Mar 2017Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco is pleased to announce Humanity Today, a group exhibition on display from February 2 through March 11, 2017. The exhibition highlights current tensions surrounding civil...Read more -
Summertime...
14 Jul - 3 Sep 2016 -
Portraiture: A Group Photography Exhibition
Omar Victor Diop, Lalla Essaydi, Hassan Hajjaj, Hendrik Kerstens, Zanele Muholi, and Aïda Muluneh 5 May - 9 Jul 2016Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco is pleased to present Portraiture: A Group Photography Exhibition opening May 5 and running through July 9, 2016. There will be a reception on Thursday,...Read more
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FOG Design+Art
San Francisco, CA 18 - 21 Jan 2024Jenkins Johnson will present eleven artists of the African Diaspora that include works by Adrian Burrell, Renee Cox, Dewey Crumpler, David Driskell, Lola Flash, Violet...Read more -
Paris Photo
Ming Smith, Lola Flash, Aïda Muluneh, Renee Cox, and Poulomi Basu 9 - 12 Nov 2023Jenkins Johnson Gallery is thrilled to participate in this year's Paris Photo at the Grand Palais Ephémère. The gallery will present five art canon-breaking women...Read more -
EXPO Chicago
Chicago, IL 13 - 16 Apr 2023Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to announce its participation in the 2023 edition of EXPO Chicago which will take place at the Navy Pier's Festival...Read more -
The Photography Show presented by AIPAD
New York, NY 30 Mar - 2 Apr 2023Jenkins Johnson Gallery was please to participate in The Photography Show presented by AIPAD. The fair took place at the Center415 with Public Days from...Read more -
The Photography Show presented by AIPAD
New York, NY 20 - 22 May 2022Jenkins Johnson Gallery exhibited at The Photography Show, presented by AIPAD, which occured May 20-22, 2022. We presented the works of Wesaam Al-Badry, Lola Flash,...Read more -
Frieze London OVR
London, United Kingdom 13 - 17 Oct 2021Jenkins Johnson Gallery was proud to participate in Frieze London OVR 2021. The online viewing room was live from October 13th through October 17th. The...Read more -
EXPO Chicago
Chicago, IL 8 - 12 Apr 2021Jenkins Johnson Gallery was proud to participate in EXPO CHGO ONLINE 2021. Our presentation, Reflections, featured the work of Dewey Crumpler, Lisa Corinne Davis, Alex...Read more -
South South Veza
Online Viewing Room 23 Feb - 7 Mar 2021Jenkins Johnson Gallery was proud to participate in South South Veza. The virtual platform was live from February 23, 2021 at 1pm GMT with a...Read more -
UNTITLED, Miami Beach
Miami Beach, FL 3 - 8 Dec 2019Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to announce its participation in UNTITLED, Miami Beach, December 3-8, 2019 in Booth B29. This presentation will feature artists including...Read more -
Paris Photo
Paris, France 6 - 10 Nov 2019Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to present at Paris Photo the works of Ming Smith, Aida Muluneh, and Gordon Parks. Ming Smith was the first...Read more -
UNTITLED, San Fracisco
San Francisco, CA 17 - 20 Jan 2019Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to present the work of Wesaam Al-Badry, Ben Aronson, Kenturah Davis, Scott Fraser, Caroline Kent, Basil Kincaid, Turiya Magadlela, Devin...Read more -
EXPO Chicago
Chicago, IL 27 - 30 Sep 2018Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to present the work of Wesaam Al-Badry, Basil Kincaid, Turiya Magadlela, Devin N. Morris, Aida Muluneh, Lavar Munroe, Nnenna Okore,...Read more -
The Photography Show presented by AIPAD
New York, NY 5 - 8 Apr 2018Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to present the work of Wesaam Al-Badry, Devin N. Morris, Aida Muluneh, Blessing Ngobeni, Gordon Parks, and Mimi Plumb.Read more -
UNTITLED, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA 12 - 14 Jan 2018Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to present the work of Lalla Essaydi, Aida Muluneh, Blessing Ngobeni, Deborah Roberts, and Vaughn Spann. New York-based Lalla Essaydi...Read more -
The Photography Show Presented By AIPAD
New York, NY 30 Mar - 2 Apr 2017 -
EXPO Chicago
Chicago, IL 22 - 26 Sep 2016Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to announced our participation in EXPO Chicago 2016. We will be presenting works by Nicolas Africano, Omar Victor Diop, Scott...Read more -
Seattle Art Fair
Seattle, WA 4 - 7 Aug 2016Jenkins Johnson Gallery is pleased to announce our participation in the 2016 edition of the Seattle Art Fair. We will be presenting works by Omar...Read more