Kirubel Melke Alemu

Kirubel Melke is a visual artist (b. 1983, Addis Ababa) who lives and works in Ethiopia. He holds a diploma in Marketing from the National College in Addis Ababa, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Addis Ababa University.

Inspired by his mother’s work at a garment factory, Melke has focused on fabric as his primary medium, creating elaborate tableaux from fragments of cloth. Since his third year in fine art school, washed clothing hanging from a wire has been a recurring theme for his work. Using cloth as a marker for daily life, Melke explores themes related to education, social injustice and the relationship between tradition and modernity, presenting pressing issues relevant to contemporary Ethiopian culture. Melke has exhibited extensively in Ethiopia and internationally, most notably at The National Museum of Ethiopia, The Hawke Centre at the University of South Australia and The Yarrow Gallery in the UK.

Cloth continues to be a primary source of inspiration for Kirubel Melke’s work. A fragment of cloth metaphorically represents the individual as a fragment of a larger societal fabric. Cultural trends in dressing reveal the roots and current interests of a society, as well as the transition from tradition to a globalized modernity.