Kirubel Mandefro, (1990) an Ethiopian-born artist based in Margate, explores the psychological tension between belonging and becoming. Through diaphanous acrylic paintings on canvas, he examines tenderness, masculinity, and the fragile conditions that shape human connection. Rooted in a search for a life beyond fear, his work attends to the textures of intimacy, vulnerability, and closeness. Painted in earthy tones, cropped figures of men in moments of exposure carry traces of his queer and migrant experience while speaking to broader questions of belonging, desire, and recognition. His paintings seek to offer moments of connection, a silent caress to viewers in what may be only a brief encounter. For Mandefro, painting is both a personal necessity and a quiet act of resistance. 

He holds an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art (2023) and a BFA from the Alle School of Fine Arts and Design at Addis Ababa University (2014). His work has been exhibited in solo shows such as Gestures of Mask-ulinity at Laphoto Contemporary Art Gallery in Addis Ababa (2021) and Saints and Sinners at Alliance Ethio-Française (2018). He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions internationally, including This Is Love at TKE Studios in Margate (2026), Notes From The Studios at Incubator Gallery in London (2025), The Present at The Living Gallery in New York (2023), and Addis Contemporary II at Circle Art Gallery in Nairobi (2021). 

Mandefro’s work has garnered significant recognition, including the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (2020, 2023, 2026), the AXA Art Prize Finalist (2023), and the Emerging Painting Invitational Prize (2020). His dedication to the craft is further evidenced by his achievements at the New York Academy of Art, where he was awarded the Mickalene Thomas Scholarship and the President’s Scholarship. Currently he resides in Margate working in Tracey Emin Artist Residency.