Aida Muluneh’s world is a striking, surreal amalgamation of stories. Her photographs are connected to each other, whether through theme or aesthetics, as well as symbolising something bigger than her.
Walking through her solo exhibition at Efie Gallery, Al Khayat Avenue in Al Quoz is an experience meant to be savoured. Pace yourself and pause in front of each image to revel in her artistry, in how she references different art practices and art history, and you will recognise that Muluneh’s work is a powerful proclamation.
“Art is about your own vulnerability, which means that it's your own truth,” Muluneh tells The National. “This is what I teach young photographers. If you're not able to express your own truth, the audience also reads into that.”
Muluneh, attuned with the language and power of storytelling, has taken landscapes, symbols and the varying truths of particular places and experiences and laid them out in arrestingly stunning narratives.
Her works, which have been collected by international institutions such as New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, push what the medium of photography can do.
The Art of Advocacy, the title of her solo exhibition, combines celebrated pieces from three series, including commissions for the Nobel Peace Prize. It demonstrates a unified ethos both in the ideas Muluneh grapples with and the unique aesthetic language she uses to express them.
Geometrically balanced and considered compositions that feel cinematic draw the viewer’s eye in and across the frame.
Women with reinterpreted traditional face paint pose against dreamlike settings. Choreographed, serene and still, they stand, sit, kneel, lay and are frozen in movement. Some hold jugs or umbrellas, others wear masks and point to the horizon as they stare decisively out at the viewer, at each other or beyond the realm of the frame. Their garments fly about or frame them as part silhouettes of bold colour, against placid, dark or flat backgrounds.
Each image is replete with layers of narratives. “Everything is mathematics, everything is sketched out beforehand,” she says. “I don't want to spend time on the technicalities. I want the technicalities to be done with because, at the end, what I'm looking for is that magic moment. So if I'm busy trying to figure out what I'm doing, you miss the magic moment.”
While Muluneh’s work is meticulously planned, it is by no means clinical. Emblazed with story and layers of emotion, the images centre on themes such as the environment, colonisation, health, human rights, African women’s identities and the sordid histories of the past.
No matter how fantastical or surreal a work may appear, Muluneh’s eye and understanding of storytelling places the images within the reach of a global audience.
“There's too much elitism within art; it's always about highbrow things,” she says.
“I come from a farming background. My family are still farmers, but I know when they see my work, they recognise it. And I think that needs to be the role of arts, that regardless of your class, nationality and education, you should be able to look at work and take away something from each show.”
Muluneh’s work combines many elements and visual languages. Painting, cinematography, fashion photography, digital collage, folklore — her references and ideas masterfully merge, creating a unique yet familiar voice.
“It's never about like seeking validation,” Muluneh says about her creative process. “It’s a way for me to get what's inside of me out. This is a visual journal of my experiences and the things I know, as well as what I want to share with the audience. That's my main priority. And that means knowing your own truth and being truthful with yourself.”
This sharing of experiences goes beyond her work as an artist and is helping to reshape the African art scene.
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Muluneh has lived in Yemen, Cyprus, Greece, the UK and Canada, and currently resides in the Ivory Coast — making her well-placed to connect with an international audience.
Muluneh has not only worked as an educator for young photographers, but is also the founder of the Addis Foto Fest, the first international photography festival in East Africa, which launched in 2010.
As a cultural entrepreneur, she works on a variety of projects with local and international institutions in Ethiopia and the Ivory Coast, all in an effort to educate and promote photography and art in East Africa and take it across the globe.
“It's about representation, everything is about trying to find that solution of how we proceed,” Muluneh says of her efforts to advocate African art.
“I got into photography out of the frustration over how Africa is perceived, how people of colour are perceived. All of these things I do are connected to each other.”
Aida Muluneh’s exhibition, The Art of Advocacy, is running until February 24 at Efie Gallery, Al Khayat Avenue in Al Quoz, Dubai
Iraqi photographer Latif Al Ani's exhibition at Farjam Foundation - in pictures
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
