helen zeray

About the artist.

Helen Zeray was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1998. She is currently based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her artistic journey began at a very young age. A significant turning point came during high school, when she enrolled in an art class at the NBCDC Youth Centre in Addis Ababa. There, she had the opportunity to study under zemaryam Mulugetta, an artist and teacher at the Ale School of Fine Arts and Design.

Helen’s work explores human psychology, the complexity of identity, and the relationship between well-being and self-representation. Through her practice, she examines the subtle language of human gestures and facial expressions.

She is particularly interested in fleeting, unguarded moments that reveal who we truly are beneath the surface, the tension between how we present ourselves to the world and what emerges when we are no longer aware of being observed. In these unconscious expressions, when the “mask” falls away, emotions and mental states become more visible.

Her subjects are drawn from everyday life, including friends, passersby, and strangers on the street. She often works from snapshots, using them as raw material to capture authentic psychological and emotional states. She carefully studies posture, the tension in hands, and the direction of the gaze details that carry deep emotional and psychological meaning.

Her works are created using oil and acrylic on canvas. Her color palette, often dominated by gold and other luminous tones, evokes a sense of spirituality and elevation. It transforms everyday figures into something more ethereal, symbolic, and otherworldly. She views these moments as portals into a deeper, unseen dimension where emotion, identity, and vulnerability intersect.

Selected solo Exhibitions

2024. View From Beyond, Jerusalem House of Quality, Jerusalem, Israel

2022. Idiomatic Expression, Hager Fiker Gallery, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024, The Artists Make a Story, Ben Ami Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel

2022, East African Art and Culture, Entoto Art Gallery, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2022, World Refugee Day, Hayat Regency, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2016, Ye Tesfa Kelemoch 3, Ethiopia National Theatre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2015, Ye Tesfa Kelemoch 2, Ethiopia National Theatre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2014, Ye Tesfa Kelemoch 1, Ethiopian National Theatre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Selected Publications

Artamine Editorial, “In Conversation with Helen Zeray: Meet Artamine Artists”, Artamine Magazine, April 2025: