Maheder Haileselassie is a self taught Ethiopian photographer/visual artist born and based in Addis Ababa. Her work has been awarded The Seydou Keita Award at Rencontres de Bamako 2024 and Contemporary African Photography Award - CAP Prize 2023.
Maheder welcomes the opportunity to document women's issues, showcase or celebrate communities that are finding paths to self sufficiency, explore rural/urban challenges and potentials that involve youth, health, agriculture or technology.
She has years of experience working with numerous international NGOs, cultural centers and news outlets such as AFP, Reuters, Getty Images and Mongabay to report on social, political and environmental issues, primarily in East Africa. Moreover, she had collaborated with institutions such as Frobenius Institute, EiABC and Goethe Institut on projects that look into the intersection between photography, history, anthropology and architecture.
Maheder runs Center for Photography in Ethiopia, a critical learning platform for emerging photographers.
Email: mahederhaile@gmail.com Instagram: @maheder_haileselassie
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
2024 BBC 100 Inspiring Women in the world, United Kingdom.
2024 The Seydou Keita Grand Prize Winner, 14th edition Rencontres de Bamako, Mali.
2024 Recipient of Cultures of Resistance Grant Award, United States.
2023 Finalist, Grand Prix Images Vevey 2023/24, Vevey, Switzerland.
2023 CAP Prize Winner - Contemporary African Photography Awards, Basel, Switzerland.
2020 East African Photography Award, 2nd Place, Kampala, Uganda.
2019 Selected for the The New York Times Portfolio Review, USA.
2016 Selected for World Press Photo Masterclass East Africa, Amsterdam,The Netherlands.
EXHIBTIONS
2025 Between Yesterday and Tomorrow, 1-54 Art Fair, Marrakech, Morocco.
2024 Between Yesterday and Tomorrow, Photo London, London, United Kingdom.
2024 Points of Resonance, Contemporary Photography in Africa. Cairo, Egypt.
2023 Between Yesterday and Tomorrow, Lagos Photo Festival,Ground State, Fellowship Within the Uncanny.
2021 OZANGÉ, the Spanish Biennial of African Photography, Malaga, Spain.
2019 Walls, Kigali Photo Festival, Kigali, Rwanda.
2024 Walls, Fragments of Change, Ethiopian Academy of Sciences Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2021 Walls, More than a number, Ffotogallery, United Kingdom.
2021 1-54 art fair, The Photographic Collective, London, United Kingdom.
2019 Jakarta International Photo Festival, Jakarta, Indonesia.
2018 Shoa: A Geographical Passion, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
2018 Black Magic Women, Italy.
2018 Walls, Image Festival Amman #7, Jordan.
2017 Stories, Cairo, Egypt.
2017 Angels and Rainbows, Christmas in Lalibela, In Quest for, Kampala, Uganda.
2017 Intangible Cultural Heritages. UN ECA Hall, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2017 Distance, Tales on Ethiopia, Italy.
2017 Inspiring women, Goethe Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2016 Angels and Rainbows, Christmas in Lalibela, Addis Foto Fest, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2016 Photojournalists in Conflict, Helsinki, Finland.
2016 In Quest for, Ethiopia.
PRESENTATIONS AND CURATION
2023 Curation, The Winds of Ferensai, Paintings by Hailemichal Wegayehu, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2023 Presentation, Working with and in community, The Essentials online class, Everyday Projects.
2021 Presentation, Introduction to Particpatory Photography to Addis Ababa University students, in collaboration with Cambridge University, United Kingdom.
2019 Curation, Baxxe ፤ Home - Present day and Archival Photographs from Gedeo, Ethiopia.
2019 Collaboration with Frobenius Institue, Frankfurt, Germany.
2018 Curation with Michael Tsegaye, Against Gravity- On recent photography in Ethiopia.
2018 Speaker at World Press Photo, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2017 Coordinated Photo Quech Quech, street documentary series and exhibtion in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2016 Participant at Deutche Welle Global Media Forum,
GRANTS
2024 Recipient of Cultures of Resistance Grant Award, United States.
2023 Prince Claus Seed Grants, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2018 Freelancers in the Residence program for writers,Mongabay Environmental News Agency, USA
2017 Creative Futures Funding, European Union through the Goethe Ins. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2024 Mobility grant, Prince Claus Fund, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
WORKSHOPS AND EXHIBITIONS COORDINATIONS
2017- to date Founder, Center for Photography in Ethiopia.
2018 Co-Curated Against Gravity, a group exhibition by Ethiopian Photographers with Michael Tsegaye, Ethiopia.
2017 Realized a three month mentorship program led by Michael Tsegaye in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2017 Realized The Archival & Community Project + Exhibtion led by John Fleetwood in EiABC, Ethiopia.
2017 Realized Photo Quech Quech, street documentary series and exhibtion in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
PRESS CLIPS
BBC 100 women - BBC
Maheder Wins Seydou Keita Grand Prize - Contemporary &
Climate change and Child Marriage - The Guardian
In Conversation -Maheder Haileselassie - Jabulani Dhlamini - The Photographic Collective
These 14 women are shattering stereotypes of Africa one photo at a time - Matador Network
Conversation with Maheder Haileselassie - The Police Project
The Lit List: 30 Photographers to watch and hire - Authority Collective
Photographer captures the intensity and emotion of childbirth - Ethiopian Observer
Meet the Masterclass East Africa: Maheder Haileselassie - World Press Photo
PUBLICATIONS
2024 Photo London Fair Publication 121
2023 European Photography Art Magazine Issue 113
2018 Against Gravity- On recent photography in Ethiopia
2017 Distance, Tales of Ethiopia
