Born in Ethiopia in 1974, is dubbed the King of Charcoal for his masterful use of the medium which Modern Museum of Art (MOMA) has archived several of his charcoal on paper works, deposited by curator Meskerem Assegued. A 1998 graduate of Addis Ababa University Alle School of Fine Art; Design where he specialized in painting, his photographic memory facilitates the creation of profound portraits, figures -spaces and places. His talent is an affront to stereotypical notions of art from Africa, surpassing boundaries with his unique visual voice. Inspired by his heritage and his mother, a self-taught artist and 5 th generation descendant of the Imperial Ethiopian Family, he is also influenced by the works of H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I; Bob Marley’s music and Kahlil Gibran and Oscar Wilde’s prose. He ha had exhibitions, residencies in Jerusalem; Paris; Johannesburg; Dubai; NYC and Miami Wynwood Art District during Art Basel, 2011 and University of Florida Harn Museum to name a few. Commissions include Coca Cola, Addis Abeba; Red Terror Martyr’s Museum and Embassies of Portugal and France, amongst others, with collections in Dr. Rita Marley/Bob; Rita Marley Foundations, Embassies of Denmark and the USA, National Museum of Ethiopia and UN Office for the High Commissioner on Human Rights. His creative epicenter is called Moa Anbessa Fine Art Studio Gallery in the heart of Addis Abeba – diplomatic capital of Africa.