Mihret Kebede Alwabie     (from Ethiopia / Africa)
JUROR

Mihret Kebede was born in 1975 in Dessie and graduated from the AAU School of Fine Arts and Design in painting with distinction, 2007. She then took a one-year photography course with Aida Muluneh (DFA). Mihret also received a certificate award of recognition from Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 2013.
Mihret likes experimenting and playing with that she feels inside, giving more attention to feelings than reason. She writes poetry as one way of expressing herself in the pursuit of something beyond consciousness. She also introduced the first Poetic jazz event in Ethiopia with her poet friends five Years ago and became a founding member of Tobiya poetic jazz. www.tobiyapoeticjazz.com Since graduation, in addition to painting, Mihret has concentrated on using different materials and Medias such as fabrics, threads, shoelaces, nets, photography, video, performance etc. in -2009; she did a street performance as a photographic video projection called Identity VS change by exchanging new shoelaces with old ones, asking people who were on the street to give up their old ones for Addis photo festival in 2010. This performance piece is now used as a teaching material in the theatre department of Addis Ababa University.
Mihret also did another controversial art project called the Red Diary, which involves the use of her menstruation blood since April 2009. As a result, she created a big installation and mixed media piece which is 4metre diameter kitchen Bowl as part of ‘Fana Wogi ‘award, 2011 for contemporary art exhibition at the Modern art museum, Addis Ababa. Recently Mihret did a big and successful performance art project called Slow Marathon between Ethiopia and Scotland that had 506 participants from all over the world while she was in the UK, Scotland for three months art residency program in 2012 at Deveron Arts. This performance had participated diversified personalities and renowned people like Athelete Haile g/Sillasie from Ethiopia and Artist Olafur Eliasson from Berlin. In between Her residency she had a solo show in Berlin at studio Olafur Eliasson in his Grey sheep series exhibition program from Feb 1st to March 30th, 2012. In 2012, Dec she did a performance art project between people from Ethiopia and different professionals from all over the world who are invited on the Prince Claus foundation annual awards ceremony in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Currently Mihret is working on a project called the Generation within, the contextualized generation, an installation piece to be exhibited at the Modern art museum with three other artists on 17th of Oct,2013 Addis Ababa curated by Dr Elisabeth W/Giorgis. Now Mihret is working as a studio artist and director of Netsa Art Village of which she is also the founding member.
EDUCATION
2007 BFA from Addis Ababa university school of fine Arts and Design in painting with Distinction
2008-2009 One year photography training, DFA Photography workshop with Aida Muluneh
TRAININGS
2012 Reading stage training with Falko Heinng, Goethe
2009 puppetry program at CIAI Italian cooperation
2009 One week training on children's media at Goethe
2009 Networking training for African professionals, Goethe Institute
2009 Writing skill training with Ethiopian writers Association and population media center
2006-2007 Art therapy training with Mr.Gray from England, at school of fine arts and design
2004 MDGs training for one year, entitled Debate to Action, British council
LOCAL EXHIBITIONS
2013 Laphto Gallery
2012 Netsa Art village
2011 National theatre Art gallery
2011 Modern Art Museum, FANA WOGI 2011 Winners Exhibition
2011 Netsa art village
2010 Art fair, NETSA art village
2010 Addis Foto fest, Alliance Ethiofranciace, Identity VS change, a Performance and video projection
2010 Netsa Art village
2010 Netsa art village
2010 Netsa art village
2009 ASNI Gallery
2009 Reggae by the Nile, Bahirdar National museum
2009 ASNI art village
2009 Free art Filega 3, at Goethe
2008 Free art Filega 2, at Goethe
2008 AAU School of fine arts and Design, Listro Project
2008 ECA Economic commission for Africa
2008 ABRO Ethiopia, ASNI gallery
2007 AAU School of fine arts and design, Graduation work
2007 Hotel Pinna Awassa
2007 British council
2006 Ethiopian women Association hall
2005 Nebabit art gallery
2004 Free art Filega 1, at AAU School of fine arts and Design
2003 Pushkin gallery
2002 Pushkin gallery
EXHIBITIONS ABROAD
2012 Prince Claus Foundation, interactive Performance art project, Amsterdam
2012 1st Tbilisi Triennial, Georgia
2012 Studio Olafur Eliasson, Berlin
2012 IN STEP, Limousine bull gallery, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
2010 Visual art center Lusaka, Zambia
2009 Shatana village public space, Jordan
2008 Girls Gotta run foundation, Washington DC, USA
2008 Old Law court, Mombasa, Kenya
LOCAL ARTISTS WORKSHOPS
2010 “Artists can build their own space”, at Goethe and Netsa Art village
2010 LOVE Project, NETSA art village
2009 ` Reggae by the Nile', Bahirda
2009 Goethe institute `Free art filega 3
2008 Goethe institute `Free art filega 2"
2004 AAU School of fine arts `Free art filega 1"
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS WORKSHOPS & PRESIDENCY
2012 Visiting artist Residency Program, Thami Menyele Amsterdam, Holland
2012 From Jan- March, on art residency at Deveron Arts (Scotland,UK)
2010 INSAKA international artists, Livingstone, ZAMBIA
2009 Shatana INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS, Jordan
2008 Abro Ethiopia International Artists workshop, Asni gallery, Addis Ababa
2008 Urban wassanii'08 kuona trust Mombasa, Kenya
WORK EXPERIENCE
2013, coordinated WAX AND GOLD international workshop at Netsa art village, supported by Prince Claus fund, Amsterdam
2013, Coordinated, ‘HOPE WITH ART’ children art project and exhibition at the fine art school and Netsa with Artists for charity (AFC) and AHOPE Ethiopia orgs.
2012 Coordinated, experimental poetry and Jazz with Spatial experimental school from Berlin, Olafur Elliasson studio at Jan Meda, Addis Ababa.
2012-upto date project coordinator on monthly poetic jazz program at Ras Hotel
2012 worked on project development and planning at Ethiopian women artists’ Association.
2012 Photo shooting for little sun project with Berlin Based Artist Olafur Elliasson, Addis Ababa
2011 Coordinated, Rap poetry and painting performance event at Goethe
2010 - Up to date Netsa art village, Director
2010 Coordinator, Love project exhibition at NETSA art village
2010 Art therapist, COOPI, Italian institute for one year
2009 Organizer, WAPI monthly visual art program for One year, British council
2008-2009 Art Therapist at CIAI, Italian cooperation
2008 Coordinater, DFA photography workshop with photographer Aida Muluneh for one year
2006-2007 Worked as cultural and social officer at Addis Ababa university student union and student's representative at AAU school of fine arts and design
AWARDS
2013 Certificate Award of Recognition from Ministry of culture and Tourism
2011 FANA WOGI 2011 award, Modern art Museum and Goethe
2010 Certificate award from Ethiopian writers association, for designing postal stamps of two famous Authors, Dr Kebede Michael and Dr Sinidu Gebru
2010 Certificate award from Ethiopian writers association for doing portraits of Famous Athletes Hile G/sillasie, Kenenisa Bekele, Tsegaye Kebede after Sydney Olympic.
2007 Cultural and social officer Certificate award for student union from Addis Ababa University
2005 Silver Medal from Higher institution sport Competition, AA University
2006 Gold Medal from Higher institution sport Competition, Adama University
2003- 2007 Honor lists from AAU school of fine arts and design every semester for achieving good Grades
2003 First prize award from Russian cultural institute on painting Competition
ON GOING PROJECT
-Working on ‘the generation within’ art project to be exhibited at the modern art museum, Oct 17, 2013
- Coordinating and writing ‘Artists can build their own Space 2’ project with Goethe and Netsa art village
- project development and writing on three Poetic Jazz programs at Ras Hotel, British council and Asham Africa Hotel every month as Tobiya poetic jazz group
OTHER ACTIVITIES and MEMBERSHIPs
- Founder and member, Tobiya poetic jazz group
- Poetry writing and reading
- Member, Ethiopian writers association
- Women soccer mid fielder for AAU 2004-2007
- Member, Ethiopian female artists association
- Member, Ethiopian visual artists association
PUBLICATION
- Different exhibition catalogues and news letters
- Slow Marathon book, 2012
- Tobiya poetic jazz DVD, Volume 1, 2013 (group)

www.netsaartvillage.org

Mihret Kebede Alwabie organize screening in partnership with:
Netsa Art Village
Alle School of Fine Arts and Design,
Go to see partner & screening page.