Selome Muleta

Selome Muleta (b. 1992 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) is an artist whose practice delves deeply into the representation of the female figure and the nuanced emotions that surround it. Initially exploring cartographic depictions of the natural world, Muleta made a decisive shift towards studying the female body, using it as a vessel to convey a rich array of experiences. Her works invite a conversation about the emotional and physical terrain of women’s lives, often incorporating everyday objects from their private spaces. These objects are significant in relation to their proximity to the depicted figures, grounding the viewer in the tactile and intimate environment of the subjects.

Muleta’s technique is characterised by dotted and lined marks, which trace both physical and metaphysical journeys across the environments she creates. Her process is dynamic, almost performative in its execution, as she works with remarkable speed, capturing an event within the moment of its creation.

Drawing from her father's profession as a photographer, Muleta's work merges portraiture with still life, blurring the lines between the animate and the inanimate. This fusion brings forth a meditative harmony, with fragmented faces that shift the viewer's focus towards the objects that fill the space around the figure. There is often an underlying emptiness in her paintings, one that draws the viewer into a contemplation of presence and absence, connection and isolation. This duality is powerfully represented in works like In Relationship 4, where the presence of a black cat suggests companionship, yet its silent gaze also highlights a poignant sense of longing.

Muleta’s paintings often feature shades of green, complemented by accents of yellow or red, with a diaphanous layering of primary colours that lend a dreamlike quality to her scenes. While her portraits are not based on specific individuals, they are imbued with subconscious echoes of people she has encountered. As Muleta herself states, ‘I always have some composition in my mind but the end is not always expected; the true work is between the process on canvas.’

Through her evocative works, Selome Muleta invites reflection on the complex dance between presence and absence, inviting viewers into a space where emotions, relationships, and the human experience are explored with both depth and subtlety.

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