The Artist:

Eyob Mergia

I am an Ethiopian artist who moved to the United States after graduating from Addis Ababa University – Alle School of Fine Arts and Design in 1997. I first settled in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where I took courses in  Advanced Drawing and Advanced Painting at Augustana College and lived for 15 years. Later, I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where I studied Film and Visual Communication at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN), and then enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), focusing on African American Literature, Art Analysis, Printmaking, and Creative Photography. These diverse disciplines—including visual storytelling, digital media, design theory, and post-production—have expanded my vision and added new dimensions to my artistic practice.

Today, I work from my studio in Las Vegas and have exhibited my work in a variety of venues, completing commissions for airlines, medical institutions, schools, and churches. For me, art is more than skill or profession—it is a way of seeing, questioning, and connecting. I consider myself profoundly fortunate to be an artist, because it allows me to translate the invisible aspects of life into visual form. My practice is both introspective and outward-reaching: each work is a meditation on existence, identity, and perception. I strive to give voice  to the tensions of the human condition—the visible and the hidden, the conscious and the unconscious, the personal and the universal.

Inspiration arises from the rhythms of everyday life: music, literature, nature, memory, and cultural exchange. Sometimes I create with clarity and intention; other times, I surrender to the instinctual, letting the subconscious speak. This tension between structure and spontaneity defines much of my work. Like jazz improvisation—anchored yet free—my process is rooted in knowledge, but constantly open to surprise. The abstract forms and geometric structures that emerge are not just aesthetic—they reflect a deeper order I sense in the world. To make art is to dwell in uncertainty without fear. It is not about delivering answers, but uncovering deeper questions. I view art-making as an act of inquiry—each mark on the surface a conversation, a quiet search for meaning. My drawings become doorways between worlds, threads that stitch together time, memory, and emotion. They are part of a broader dialogue that spans generations, traditions, and disciplines, bridging philosophy, literature, music, and film.

In the end, art is a beacon—illuminating our shared humanity, inspiring empathy, and reminding us that through creativity, we can transcend boundaries, heal wounds, and imagine a more connected, hopeful future. This is the promise I strive to honor in   every  stroke, every composition, and every story I bring to life.