“Drawing from personal experience and shared stories within the Ethiopian and Eritrean Diaspora, I document the emotional landscapes of those living between cultures and across borders. Through intimate portraits, ancient olive trees, and symbolic depictions of the Mediterranean Sea, my work traces the journeys of individuals uprooted by political and economic forces, searching for belonging in unfamiliar places. Photography, for me, is a way of understanding the self and the cultural forces that shape us. My work seeks to challenge fixed narratives and open a space for dialogue around representation, migration, and human rights”
– Senayt Samuel
Senayt Samuel is a Swiss-American contemporary photographer born in Asmara, Eritrea, and raised between Ethiopia and the United States. Her multicultural background informs a photographic practice that explores identity, memory, migration, and belonging through a thoughtful balance of documentary observation and conceptual expression. Her work examines the complexities of cultural inheritance and the experience of living between places, creating images that resonate on both personal and universal levels.
Working with portraiture, landscape, and symbolic imagery, Samuel creates photographs that reflect the emotional and psychological dimensions of displacement. Her compositions are quiet yet powerful, inviting contemplation through subtle narratives and carefully constructed visual metaphors. Themes of resilience, transformation, and cultural memory emerge throughout her practice, encouraging viewers to reflect on the enduring relationship between people, place, and history.
Samuel’s work has been exhibited internationally in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Italy, China, Ethiopia, and the United States, with solo exhibitions including The Power of Water, Rooted & Uprooted, and Between Worlds. Her photographs are held in private collections across Europe and North America. Through a poetic and deeply human visual language, she continues to expand contemporary conversations around identity, memory, and the universal search for belonging.
We are delighted to present her as one of our exhibitors at ART WORLD MARBELLA 2026.
