Starting June 12, the Playlist Gallery by Giampaolo Abbondio in Milan presents Aida Muluneh, an internationally renowned Ethiopian photographer who has revolutionized the visual narrative of the African continent. Her images, suspended between photography and painting, depict an Africa far removed from stereotypes, populated by hieratic, symbolic female figures who guard ancestral memory and a regenerative present.

A former photojournalist for The Washington Post, Muluneh has exhibited in the most important international museums, from MoMA to Tate, and is the founder of key festivals and platforms for the promotion of African photography. In her work, the image becomes a political and spiritual act, a sacred space where primary color and geometric composition reflect the dialogue between migration, identity, and belonging.

Through a powerful and unmistakable visual style, Muluneh redraws contemporary Africa with images that speak to all of humanity. As is customary for the gallery, the exhibition title is inspired by a piece of music: The Homeless Wanderer by Ethiopian pianist and composer Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou. A bittersweet echo accompanies the viewer’s gaze, becoming the soundtrack to a silent and powerful diaspora.

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