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Addis Abeba and its Art Scene; Artawi Gallery

How Did Artawi Begin?

In October 2022, we tried to showcase Ashendiye in Lalibela — a photo exhibition by Sehin Tewabe. We approached different cultural spaces and galleries in Addis, but quickly realized that most were not interested in presenting photography exhibitions, nor in working with emerging photographers.

This was when we truly felt how little space the city offered for artists like us. After many trials, we finally found support at Red Door Art Gallery and Exclusive Apartment, managed by the well-known artist Tamrat Siltan, who gave us the opportunity to present the exhibition. It turned out to be very successful — our very first exhibition.

Right after this, we understood that we needed our own space — not just for us, but for other artists like us.

The challenge: renting a space in central Addis is extremely expensive. Affordable spaces exist further out, but with Addis’s weak gallery-going culture and limited public transportation, this would make it hard for audiences to reach us.

Finally, we found an under-construction building in the heart of Bole. Since it was unfinished, the rent was affordable. That’s how Artawi began: an artist-owned, photography-centered gallery.

Creating the Culture of Exhibiting

Addis has a good number of photographers who practice photography as art, either full-time or part-time. But most do not think about exhibiting their work because:

  1. There were no spaces that welcomed photography.

  2. Without such spaces, photographers did not develop full bodies of work — instead they collected scattered images.

Artawi exists to change this.

Artawi Photo Book Library

To tackle this challenge, we turned to education. Addis does not yet have a proper photography school — most of us learned online and shared work on social media.

While the internet is a powerful tool, it often focuses only on technical, surface-level knowledge. This leads to many photographers producing very similar work, since they draw from the same online sources.

From our own photography journey, we learned that photography books are one of the best ways to expand artistic vision. But in Addis, books are rare, expensive, and difficult to access.

So we created a book corner at Artawi, where photographers can read during opening hours. We began with a small personal collection and slowly expanded through donations.

📚 Today: around 80 donated books from all over the world.

🎯 Goal: to build Ethiopia’s first dedicated photography library.

The Contemporary Shift: Expanding Artawi

The art scene in Addis is evolving. Independent spaces like Artawi are emerging to fill the gap by providing platforms for both emerging and established artists.

To tackle the shortage of art spaces, we are collaborating with different organizations to adapt their existing venues into galleries.

  • Example: Addis Arms Café inside the British Embassy — a unique space that exposes artists to a diverse international and local community.

We are currently working with two other organizations on similar initiatives.

Our Vision

Artawi is more than a gallery — it is a community hub.

We aim to:

  • Champion photography as an art form in Ethiopia

  • Support artists with space, resources, and opportunities

Build long-term infrastructure for photography and the visual arts