Michael Adonai (born 5 December 1962) is a visual artist from Eritrea. 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 or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated aluminium ...

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 Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist organization that fought for the Eritrean War of Independence, independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia. It emerged in 1 ...

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 an War, armed conflict and insurgency aimed at achieving self-determination and independence for Eritrea from Ethiopian rule. Starting in 1961, Eritrean insurgents engaged in guerrilla warfare to liberate ...

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

Coptic art Coptic art is the Christianity, Christian art of the Byzantine empire, Byzantine-Roman Egypt, Greco-Roman Egypt and of Coptic Orthodox Church, Coptic Christian Churches. Coptic art is best known for its wall-paintings, textiles, illuminated ma ...

. 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, wh ...

, 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 country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

(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 local government area of the City of Wyndham. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werribe ...

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

Fine Art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

for three years, specializing in

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

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

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Adonai has also authored five books in the

Tigrinya language Tigrinya, sometimes romanized as Tigrigna, is an Ethio-Semitic languages, Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic languages, Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is primarily spoken by the Tigrinya people, ...

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