Kirubel Mandefro (b. 1990, Ethiopia) is an Ethiopian-born artist whose practice explores the boundary between the known and the unknown. His work is driven by a quest to find familiarity in the strange and ominous, often beginning with an introspective look at personal experiences to uncover meaning within intimate atmospheres. For Mandefro, painting is a journey into a liminal space, where the subconscious expands into uncharted realms, and each brushstroke is an exploration of love in all its complexities.

Mandefro holds an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art (2023) and a BFA from the Alle School of Fine Arts and Design at Addis Ababa University (2014). His work has been exhibited in solo shows such as Gestures of Mask-ulinity at Laphoto Contemporary Art Gallery in Addis Ababa (2021) and Saints and Sinners at Alliance Ethio-Française (2018). He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions internationally, including The Present at The Living Gallery in New York (2023) and Addis Contemporary II at Circle Art Gallery in Nairobi (2021).

Mandefro’s work has garnered significant recognition, including the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (2021, 2024), the AXA Art Prize Finalist (2023), and the Emerging Painting Invitational Prize (2020). His dedication to the craft is further evidenced by his achievements at the New York Academy of Art, where he was awarded the Mickalene Thomas Scholarship and the President’s Scholarship. His creations are a testament to his belief that each painting is a dialogue with the unknown, offering a space where love, memory, and subconscious forces converge.