Vibrant reds, faces painted with geometric symbols, direct gazes. Through the end of the summer, Galerie 38 is showcasing several works by Aida Muluneh, offering a glimpse into the world the Ethiopian photographer has been developing for the past twenty years. In this body of work, photography moves away from the documentary style to draw on symbolism, painting, and Ethiopian iconography.
By the editorial staff
View of the exhibition “A Real Fiction” at Galerie 38 in Casablanca.
For more than twenty years, Aida Muluneh has been building a body of work that stands apart in the landscape of contemporary African photography. Born in Addis Ababa in 1974, Aida Muluneh grew up in Yemen, England, Cyprus, and Canada. From this diasporic journey emerged a body of work whose visual language is now instantly recognizable. Her photographs, characterized by their intense colors and rigorous compositions, draw as much from Ethiopian iconography as from contemporary staging. Women occupy a central place in her work. Depicted head-on and with a solemn air, they embody not so much characters as symbolic figures through which the artist explores memory, power, and transmission.
View of the "A Real Fiction" exhibition at Galerie 38 in Casablanca.
The solid blocks of red, black, blue, or white that characterize her work today are more than just an aesthetic signature. For Simon Njami, this evolution marks a true turning point. Having worked in documentary film early in her career, Muluneh now creates images that are as much photography as they are painting. In the catalog for the exhibition “A Real Fiction,” he writes, “ Muluneh reinvents a cosmogony that broadens the realm of possibilities by giving birth to secular icons .”
Her influence extends far beyond her own work. By founding the Addis Foto Fest in 2010 and later the Desta for Africa agency, she has created platforms for a new generation of African photographers to gain visibility. As Simon Njami points out, “photography is considered not only a force for empowerment, but also an indispensable language for the development of critical thinking.”
“A Real Fiction,” Galerie 38, Casablanca, through August 30, 2026.
This translation was generated using AI. For the original text, please see the French version of this article.
View of the exhibition “A Real Fiction” at Galerie 38 in Casablanca.
