Michael Adonai (born 5 December 1962 in

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The ...

) is a visual artist from

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

. From an early age, Adonai had an interest in painting, influenced by his older brother Berhane, who went on to also get some notoriety as an Eritrean painter. At the age of 10 he was hit in a local market bombed by Ethiopia with canisters filled with

napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated al ...

that ravaged his skin. He joined the

Eritrean People's Liberation Front The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), colloquially known as Shabia, was an armed Marxist–Leninist organization that fought for the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia. It emerged in 1970 as a far-left to left-wing nationalist group ...

with his brother Berhane in 1977, at the age of 14. This revolutionary organization began Adonai’s formal education in painting with his enrollment at the EPLF Cultural Establishment in 1978. His early work was highly political, choosing to focus on the hardships endured because of the

Eritrean War of Independence The Eritrean War of Independence was a war for independence which Eritrean independence fighters waged against successive Ethiopian governments from 1 September 1961 to 24 May 1991. Eritrea was an Italian colony from the 1880s until the d ...

. His later work has focused on a traditional painting style in Eritrea known as

Coptic art Coptic art is the Christian art of the Byzantine-Greco-Roman Egypt and of Coptic Christian Churches. Coptic art is best known for its wall-paintings, textiles, illuminated manuscripts, and metalwork, much of which survives in monasteries an ...

. This change in style grew from Michael's having moved up to the

Eritrean Highlands The Eritrean Highlands are a mountainous region in central Eritrea. Bordered to the south by the Mareb River, it is a northern continuation of the Ethiopian Highlands. The region has seen tremendous deforestation since the colonial period, which b ...

, which by his own admission “Opened my eyes up to the rest of the world”. This is where he first encountered ancient Coptic churches and monasteries believed to be painted with bright vivid color by Egyptian or Syrian Christian missionaries. This bright, vivid use of color, and use of Coptic forms and symbols came to define his work for decades. In November 2012 he moved to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

(where he currently lives in

Werribee, Victoria Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werribee i ...

) in a hurry, leaving his works in Eritrea. There he studied

Fine Art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

for three years, specializing in

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

. He has participated in several art shows and claimed numerous prizes. His work has been shown throughout Eritrea, as well as

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Adonai has also authored five books in the

Tigrinya language (; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions. History and literature ...

and co-authored two, most notably Hanetay’s Destiny Collection of play, 2012, The verdict of mount Arey Novel, 2012, Windows of Mai Mne Novel, 1998, and Red Mosob Novel, 1998 He is a five-time winner of Eritrea’s national painting competitions, including the prestigious Raimok prize in 2002

References

1962 births Living people People from Asmara Eritrean artists Eritrean emigrants to Australia Eritrean People's Liberation Front members {{Eritrea-bio-stub