Michael Tsegaye (born 1975 in Addis Ababa) is an Ethiopian artist and photographer. Much of his work presents a glimpse of life in contemporary Ethiopia, although an extended catalogue of his images come from his travels abroad.
Biography
Michael Tsegaye grew up in Addis Ababa where he attended Cathedral Elementary and Tikur Anbessa High School. He enrolled in the Economics Department of Addis Abeba University before transferring to its School of Fine Arts and Design. There, he received his diploma in painting in 2002, but soon gave up painting after he developed a severe allergy to oil paint. He subsequently found his passion in photography.
Michael Tsegaye has regularly worked for international publications such as Der Spiegel, Jeune Afrique, and enorm; as well as the press agencies Bloomberg and Reuters. He has also worked for a number of international NGOs in a variety of countries and capacities since 2006, including Médecins Sans Frontières, UNESCO and GIZ. In particular from 2007 to 2008 he was employed with a year-long contract with GIZ’s Engineering Capacity Building Project (ECBP) in Addis Ababa.
Besides his professional work, Michael is also a well-known artist who focuses on social documentary and art photography. He has exhibited in various galleries in New York, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Morocco, Canada, Amsterdam, Mali, Miami, and São Paulo. His work can be found in a number of international magazines and various catalogues including Snap Judgments: New Directions in African Photography, edited by Okwui Enwezor, and published by the International Centre for Photography in New York City in 2007.
Publications and features (selected)
2014
"Feature." New York Times Lens Blog: The Changing of Ethiopia. Web. 12 May 2014. 2013 "Interview." The Guardian: Ethiopia seen outside the box. Web. 9 September 2013. "Feature." CNN.com: Hotshots: Africa's most exciting new photographers. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. 2012 "Interview." SAVVY Journal for Critical Texts on Contemporary African Art, 4th ed. “Curating: Expectations and Challenges” Web. 1 Dec. 2012. 2011 "Ankober, mystic." Callaloo 33.1 (2010): 290-294. Project MUSE. Web. 22 Jan. 2011. "Ohne Gott uhnd ohne Fusel." Der Spiegel. 9/2011. 2009 Im blauen Lichtder Zukunft, DIE ZEIT, 29 January 2009 Ethiopia Shuts Down Coffee Exporters, New York Times Monday, April 6, 2009 2008 Front cover, World Heritage Magazine, nos 51, October 2008 2004 Front cover image African Politics magazine (France)
Awards
In 2011, Michael Tsegaye won the first place award for the European Union-African Union Professional Photography Competition as a representative for Eastern Africa. He was also an artist-in-residence at the Thami Mnyele Foundation in 2010.