Yegizaw Michael is creating a powerful synthesis of traditional East African art and modern international style. His paintings convey the richness of his Eritrean culture with ideas and subjects from the larger contemporary world.
His vision is that of a Pan-African artist, reflecting his travel and exhibitions in Africa. Yegizaw has added to this the fruits of exhibitions and residencies in North America and Europe. His drawings and paintings are rich and powerful. They are full of inventions that synthesize his experiences and observations, while they employ the rich tapestry of color and symbols of his own cultural underpinnings.
Yegizaw has begun to bring his ideas to the world of sculpture, his aluminum and bronze cast sculptures compliment his paintings. These sculptures are more monumental in nature than the densely ornamented and intricate nature and detail of his paintings. But, they show the singular vision of this artist expanding to encompass new ideas and media."

Alvin Sher, Director, New York Arts Program
www.AlvinSher.net
Art Chair, Sculpture 2000 International
Art Chair, International Sculpture Project

"Yegizaw is one of the best young artists I have met and worked with in the United Nations, in our children's galleries around the world, and in world communities, large and small...he has done much to contribute the legacy of his beautiful culture on the African, European and now, the American continent"...his passion for the beauty of his people and his deep concern about environment and social justice is wonderfully romanticized by his admiration and style of Austria's Gustav Klimt that makes his work powerful and memorable...each year his work not only improves, but commands a larger audience to people of all ages....you must become an owner of his work, to keep a small piece of him with you always..."

Joanne Tawfilis
co-founder The Art Miles and Avenida de los Artistas and Kinder Artistas Galleries
Director, UNEP 2003 International Children's Conference on the Environment.