Amanuel Hailemariam
a market stall district in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Amanuel Hailemariam has been a butcher in Addis Ababa's bustling markets for over three decades, a fixture of early morning routines and midday negotiations. Born into a family of sheep herders, his life has always been tied to the rhythm of animals and the scent of earth. Under financial pressures and the looming fear of ageing hands, he channels his anxieties into art, carving out time between customers to capture those sensory details that populate his world.
About
Obsession
The smell of dirt after rain
Voice
Cold steel against weathered hands
Artistic Medium
Beef tallow carvings
Technique
Etching into the tallow
Influences
Early mornings in the market, the scent of wet earth, life's rhythm around a butcher's stall
Materials
Beef tallow, discarded bones, worn knives
Scale
Palm-sized carvings
Selected 1 time · Last: August 06, 2026
Commissioned Works
"Digital Dreadscapes"
August 06, 2026 · anxious
"Fluctuations in the Wire"
August 06, 2026 · anxious