From a rosy childhood to a disruptive youth, BirukYeshitla’s life story is one of profound resilience. Now at 42, he stands tall as epitome of tenacity, channeling his experiences into a philosophy of hope and artistic expression that resonates deeply with audiences, giving himself a reason to carry on—and convincingly so.
This is the story of an artist who loves to experiment ceaselessly. Biruk is a painter whose work is a canvas of metaphors and symbols. His subjects—often abstract concepts like hope, freedom, and the universality of justice— are carefully chosen to vividly project his ideas, coming alive through his paintings and occasional sculptures.
“I returned to full-time painting not because my condition has improved,” Biruk told The Reporter Magazine, referring to the medical complications he has endured for years. “What actually changed is my attitude towards it.”
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Biruk battles Ankylosing Spondylitis, a rare condition that fuses spinal vertebrae, causing excruciating stiffness and pain. The once-supple ligaments and disks become rigid, leaving bone scraping against bone, and thereby inhibiting movement.
“It hit me hard when I was promoted to the 9th grade,” he recalls. “The first two yearswereunbearable as the bones fused. I went without sleep for four to five days on end.”
Early Sparks
Biruk’s artistic journey began in the heart of Addis Ababa at Bethlehem Elementary School, where his teachers quickly identified his talent,assigning him to draw charts and animals like frogs on rolls of paper and blackboards. “I would climb on a chair to reach the blackboard, drawing for my teachers so we could learn the lessons of the day,” he remembers. “I never forget teacher Girma Tesfaye who communicated with UNESCO and other organizations to facilitate visits for us to galleries and exhibitions in Addis Ababa. He saw a future artist in me and encouraged me to take that path.”
The spark was further kindled when his mother returned from Israel with a parcel of pastels being among the gifts she brought back home. “I don’t know why, but I laid hands on those pastels and used them to do all kinds of paintings,” he says. His father, a significant source of encouragement and inspiration, also played a crucial role in his early artistic development.
He says his first painting was of Jesus Christ praying. “I got all the proportions just right, but I was afraid my dad might find it wasteful because I used his typing papers.”
According to him, his father owned the largest typing school in the country at that time and provided secretaries for embassies and other organizations. “He brought home stacks of used typing papers, and I used the back sides for painting after he appreciated my first work.”
As he advanced through school, Biruk surrounded himself with like-minded students. He attended Saturday classes at the Arts School and winter sessions taught by renowned Ethiopian artists such as WorkuMamo,Bisrat Bekele and Tesfaye Woldeselassie.”We were a dedicated group, we challenged each other and marveled at the works of AfewerkTekle,” he says, recalling his admiration for the famous Ethiopian artist’s murals at the Africa Hall. He would later meet the Laureate.
Tried in Fire
High school brought a cruel twist of fate, marking the beginning of a harrowing chapter. The disease that had come and gone hit with full force. Biruk’s condition worsened, confining him to bed for nine years.
“I did not leave my room for all that time,” Biruk says pensively. “I began to ask many questions silently: Why me? Why am I facing all this while my friends are out there doing what they love? I basically quit. I abandoned my paintings; I hated it.”
Salvation came in an unexpected form: on a holy water treatment site at AbunaGorgorios Church’s monastery. In a desperate search for relief, Biruk’s parents sought the treatment for him, where he says the healing process began.
“I saw many people whose conditions were much worse than mine. The sense of bitterness left me, and I had sessions with religious fathers who taught me many things. I had never thanked God before, but at the monastery, I thanked Him for what I had. I vowed not to let my condition define me and to adapt to it.”
Exhibitions: Ametaphorical journey
Transformation came to Biruk with the advent of his first group exhibition. After a period of intense personal struggle, andupon his return home and resuming his painting, a friend approached him with the prospect of a group exhibition. Heeagerly embraced this opportunity, reinvigorating his artistic drive.
“I was over the moon. How could I decline such an opportunity? I said I was in. Subsequently, I commenced working on my canvases and boards with renewed vigor and dedication,” he said.
His debut public display at Asni Gallery, then the premier venue in Addis Ababa, featured innovative work involving crushed glass.
For his first exhibition, Biruk experimented with crushed glass, using glue to make the fragments to stick onto the surface of boards.
A defining moment occurred when the legendary Laureate AfewerkTekle attended the exhibition. “He [Laureate Afewerk] was among the many who came to see our works displayed at our first-ever exhibition. It was June 2011, I was thrilled to see him, the giant I always looked up to – he came to me and talked to me. He gave me a valuable advice that I take to heart and stillmake use of today.”
The Laureate’s advice to “not serve gourmet food on a dirty plate” became a pivotal lesson for Biruk – the metaphor striking a chord with him. The renowned artist critiqued the shabby frames of the young painter’s pieces, suggesting that if the framing was meant to reflect his condition, it might be acceptable.
“He asked if I meant them to accentuate a theme that reflected my condition. That might have been acceptable.” Biruk, however, admitted that the frames were not intentional symbols. “I told him that was not the case at all.”
Just four months later, Biruk held a solo exhibition at Asni Gallery, presenting a refined approach. This time, he introduced eggs as central motifs, symbolizing hope, renewal, and the fragility of life.
“The egg provided a symbol for me to depict images in various forms and shapes to show themes of hope, breaking free, and fragility,” Biruk explains.
His paintings, with their mellow colors and mostly large-size canvases, celebrate the multifaceted aspects of life. “The egg is a symbol of fragility; and life, for me, is fragile,” he said. Biruk’sartwork is a symphony of ideas portrayed through the use of symbols and metaphors on the canvas.
The success of this solo exhibition propelled Biruk into the limelight, leading to numerous group and solo shows, including a significant stint in Dubai, where he stayed for a year and a half.
“Dubai was a great opportunity to showcase my work to an international audience and establish important contacts,” he says. He plans to return to Dubai soon.
His most recent solo exhibition, held in late June at “The Place,” a posh and stylish venue in Addis Ababa, showcased his evolving style. His canvasses continued to explore themes of resilience and transformation through symbols like eggs and spinal cord figures—symbolic of his own struggles, but depicted in ways that project hope and positiveness. Onestriking piece depicted a figure balancing a pile of pebbles, an evocative metaphor. For a discerning viewer, it is not difficult to identify Biruk as the subject. “My art radiates hope and a desire to overcome obstacles,” he said.
Biruk’s work is a personal exploration rather than a didactic statement. He cites Pablo Picasso, the pioneer of Cubism, as his greatest influence. “I love Picasso because he experimented.”
Despite ongoing physical challenges, including a recent surgery that improved his mobility, Birukremains committed to his art. He now uses a walker and he creates from a custom-made chair lying on his chest with the canvas placed horizontally on the floor. However, he still cannot stay in an upright position for long. He is also preparing for another surgery in India to regain further mobility.
His studio at home—a living room of a small villa converted for the purpose—brims with creativity. On the tiny veranda, a handful of sculptures stand sentinel. One of them is an arm—a strong one at that—stretched full length despite a barbed wire wound around it. The room is filled with framed paintings; from the ceiling hang round golden balls for stars.
BirukYeshitla’s story is one of transformation-a journey from despair through resilience to triumph and a profound shift in perspective. His canvases, rich with symbols and metaphors, are not just paintings—they are testaments to his journey, his pain, and his hope, inspiring belief in the power of perseverance, and the breaking free from inhibiting circumstances.
Biruk does not allow his condition to define him, and that he transcends physical pain and achieves a state of sublime grandeur both as a human being and artist.
