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Michael Alemayehu

@mickey__arts

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Self-Taught Artist 🎨
Realism Portraits and Wildlife
Contact: [email protected]

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Highlighting our artist of the day from ART COMP 2026!

Michael Alemayehu
Hands of the Soil
Coloured Pencil on Bristol Paper
11" x 14"

See a piece you love? Vote for it through the link in our bio. Or come experience each piece in person, gallery spaces are open daily 10 am - 9 pm!
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s artist highlight!

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Our Open Studio Series continued Wednesday evening with a visit from Ingrid Jones (@ingridjones__), curator and creative director, and #BEINGSCENE25 artists Asma Sultana (@meetasultana), Michael Alemayehu (@mickey__arts) and Candace Cosentino (@candacecos).

Thank you Ingrid for joining us last night and offering your valuable feedback on our artists’ work and steps forward for their next projects. Thank you to our artists for bringing and sharing your work with us, it’s always great discussing what you’re working on and hope to explore!

Our next Open Studio happens next Thursday (August 6), where we’ll be joined by Simon Cole, self taught, multifaceted arts professional and founder of @coopercole. We’ll be joined by artists Bethany Carpenter, Maneesa Veeravel (@witsandwounds) and Leeay Aikawa (@leeay).

Thursday, August 6, 2026
WA OFFSITE, 32 Lisgar St (2nd Floor, Room 12)
Toronto, ON
Open to Public 7-8PM

No registration required

Learn more at workmanarts.com/events/open-studio-series/ or visit the link in our bio 🔗

#WorkmanArts #WAOpenStudioSeries #GuestCurator

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Some artists master realism. Others use it to tell stories that deserve to be remembered. Michael Alemayehu does both.

Entirely self-taught, Michael transforms graphite and coloured pencils into breathtaking portraits that celebrate emotion, culture, memory, and identity. His work is so detailed it often leaves viewers wondering if they're looking at a photograph—but it's the meaning behind every drawing that truly stays with you.

From his journey as an artist from Ethiopia to Toronto to his unwavering dedication to mastering his craft, Michael reminds us that talent grows through patience, consistency, and showing up—even when no one is watching.

In our latest interview, he shares:
✨ How he taught himself hyperrealism from scratch
✨ Why cultural storytelling is at the heart of his work
✨ The patience behind every layer of graphite and coloured pencil
✨ His advice for artists still searching for their creative voice

Read the full interview through the link in our bio. 🔗

@mickey__arts
Comment 'INTERVIEW' below

#ArtsToHeartsProject #ArtistInterview #Hyperrealism #ColoredPencilArt #GraphiteArt

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At first glance, you might think you’re looking at a photograph.

Then you look closer.

And closer.

And suddenly you realize every detail, every shadow, every expression, every texture was created with nothing more than graphite and coloured pencils on paper.

That is the power of Michael Alemayehu’s work.

A selected artist in our first-ever *Artist of the Year Book*, Michael is a self-taught Ethiopian artist whose extraordinary portraits challenge our assumptions about what drawing can achieve. Without formal training or art school, he developed a level of realism through years of dedication, curiosity, and relentless practice.

But what stayed with us most wasn’t just the technical mastery.

Through his portraits, Michael seeks to represent Africa with dignity, beauty, strength, and authenticity. His work celebrates people, culture, and identity while challenging incomplete narratives that too often define how the continent is seen.

Working exclusively with graphite and coloured pencils, he creates portraits that feel deeply human—capturing not only likeness, but emotion, presence, and respect for every subject he draws.

✨ In our latest artist interview, Michael shares his journey as a self-taught artist, his commitment to representing Africa through art, and the moments that remind him why his work matters.

Read the full interview through the link in bio.

Congratulations, @mickey__arts 💙

#ArtistOfTheYearBook #MichaelAlemayehu #ArtistInterview #GraphiteDrawing #ColoredPencilArt PortraitDrawing Hyperrealism ContemporaryArt AfricanArtist EthiopianArtist RealismArt ArtistsToWatch ArtsToHeartsProject VisualArt DrawingArtist

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As part of #BEINGSCENE25, we dedicated a portion of the exhibition to 𝗜𝗰𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝘀

The 𝗜𝗰𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 has been created by Barbara Pascaluta in partnership with Toronto Community Housing @torontohousing (TCH) Revitalization Team and Workman Arts with the purpose to celebrate artists who use their art to overcome challenges.

It was inspired by the life and legacy of Ecaterina Pascaluta “Ica Pas” who was also a decades long TCH tenant, with the intent of uplifting and honoring artists by helping to utilize the power of their art to highlight and overcome injustices, challenges, and barriers.

Our 2026 Award Recipients are Leeay Aikawa @leeay and Michael Alemayehu @mickey__arts

𝘉𝘌𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘚𝘊𝘌𝘕𝘌 is now open through June 14, 2026.

🗓 May 7 – June 14, 2026
📍 Workman Arts OFFSITE Gallery,
32 Lisgar St, 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON
🕐 Gallery is open Wednesdays to Sundays, 1-6 PM

Learn more about the scholarship at workmanarts.com/partnerships/ica-pas-artist-scholarship/

#WorkmanArts #BEINGSCENE25 #IcaPas
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Images:
1—Collection of artworks by Ica Pas as part of the 25th Annual BEING SCENE Juried Exhibition. Photo by Henry Chan.
2—Leeay Aikawa @leeay , 𝘉𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶, 2024. Pine needles, found object, cotton thread. Image courtesy of the artist.
3—Michael Alemayehu @mickey__arts , 𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 2024. Coloured pencil on bristol paper. Photo by Henry Chan.

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When an artwork is created, it becomes an expression of an artist's inner world.

The artist considers how best to translate thought, emotion, memory, and experience into physical form.

Yet, there is no way to guarantee how art will be interpreted. Each of us approaches a work through a lens informed by our own perspectives and histories.

Acts of expression resist isolation by reminding us that understanding is not passive; it is something we practice. The practice is further enhanced when we do so in community.

Workman Arts (@workmanartsto) continues to support evolving our understanding of mental health and addiction by fostering opportunities for creation and presentation for artists with lived experience.

By supporting Workman Arts, you help empower uniquely talented artists while challenging and advancing evolving perspectives on mental health.

𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗘

Please visit 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺/𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲/ or the link in our bio.

#MentalHealthMonth #WorkmanArts #BEINGSCENE25

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Our 2026 𝘉𝘌𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘚𝘊𝘌𝘕𝘌 Juried Exhibition is open this weekend during 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼 @doors_opento , happening May 23 & 24

Visit our gallery space at 32 Lisgar St, Toronto (2nd Floor) from 1-6 PM, Saturday & Sunday

Add 32 Lisgar St on your #DOT26 itinerary and experience our gallery!

Learn more about 𝘉𝘌𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘚𝘊𝘌𝘕𝘌 at workmanarts.com/being-scene/

📸: @henry.chan.photo

#BEINGSCENE25 #WorkmanArts

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Last night, Workman Arts opened the doors to #BEINGSCENE25, the 25th annual BEING SCENE Juried Exhibition. Thank you for coming out and celebrating with us!

Congratulations to all the participating artists. 🎉

The 2026 BEING SCENE Juried Exhibition is on view until June 14, 2026.

🗓️ May 7-June 14, 2026
📍 32 Lisgar St, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON M6J 0C7
🕐 Wednesdays to Sundays, 1-6 PM

Thank you to Workman Arts’ Visual Arts Team, Fatma Hendawy & Olivia Deresti, for working tirelessly over the past few months for putting this momentous show together.

A special thank you to our partner CAMH (@camhnews) and public funders, the Canada Council for the Arts (@canada.council), Ontario Arts Council (@ontarioartscouncil), and Toronto Arts Council (@torontoartscouncil) for making our exhibition possible.

Thank you to @getgruvi for supporting our opening reception with delicious non-alcoholic beverages.

Stay tuned for more programming announcements as part of #BEINGSCENE25

To learn more about our exhibition, visit workmanarts.com/being-scene/

📸: @henry.chan.photo

#WorkmanArts #BEINGSCENE25

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An artist and his birth day featuring @mickey__arts

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the private screening of @dontworrybehappy_film at @sohohouse with @creativefuturescollective

I want to start this off by being so for real. This past year has been really hard for me. Most of it was spent feeling lost, lonely and isolated. It’s been a lot of learning and unlearning. Learning how to love and be loved and unlearning the negative habits my trauma has taught me.

This is exactly what this film is about. I’ve spent so many years of my life people pleasing and defining my worth through the lens of others. Working in retail only amplifies those feelings. So working in retail as your main source of income while chasing your dreams and having to push those dreams aside. Is nothing short of soul crushing. I’ve always wanted to tell my story, but never thought anyone would be willing to work with me to make it a reality.

Then I joined @creativefuturescollective and met @yoursheronna We got to talking about what project we wanted to collaborate on.

I showed her all of my designs and the meaning behind each and every piece, and shared that I’ve always wanted to make a film. I told her my story and why I became a fashion designer. We decided to combine her talents in directing and producing with my storyline.

From there, we went about making my dreams a reality.

I will forever be grateful for this opportunity and the light that @yoursheronna @_daniellealicia @fahimfarid1 have brought into my life.🙏🏼

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Soho House x Creative Futures Collective Mentorship ✅

This is gonna be one long caption bear with me…I’ve had the honor and the privilege to be a part of the 16-week mentorship program curated by Soho House and Creative Future Collective.

Throughout the program I had the privilege of meeting and collaborating with some of the most creative individuals i’ve ever met and work alongside industry leaders!

For the past four months, we have been creating, experimenting, and refining our concepts and ideas with the guidance of world-class mentors through the Soho House and Creative Future Collective program. This showcase was the result of all the hard work. A night where bold ideas were presented to a full house of industry leaders and fellow creatives. We had the opportunity to work on a rebrand campaign for @hellmannscanada where we embrace the messiness that everyone is so scared of. Real is messy and that was the core of this campaign. Showcasing real people, real scenarios and real stories.

Being a member of @sohohouse has also allowed me to travel the world and find a home away from home to meet other creatives and see the world through a different lens. I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity and will forever cherish the community we built through this!

A very very special thanks to my partner @temi.bode for collaborating with me on this project and for being the perfect partner! a big big thank you for @creativefuturescollective and for @sohohouse for offering us a space to express our creativity! also a huge thanks to everyone who came to the showcase and showed us so much love and support! you know who you are!!!! and finally the fellow creatives and mentees yall made this so so special and fun!! thank youuu!!🫶🏼🫶🏼

#sohohouse #campaign #hellmanns #canada #creative #branding

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August sipped away…🍾

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