Nahom Ghirmay

Nahom Ghirmay is Seattle-based artist, who was born in Asmara, Eritrea in 1993. His work in the exhibition, Home Again, is rooted in the emotional landscapes of identity, memory, and the longing for belonging, often reflecting on the immigrant experience, and the search for home. Ghirmay’s tender portraits and narrative paintings evoke mood through facial expression, gesture, and his unique painterly style. Through his paintings, the artist explores displacement through imagined sanctuaries where the inner child seeks refuge and the notion of home evolves. 

For many who navigate between cultures, home becomes more than a physical place—it transforms into an emotional and psychological space. Rather than seeking home in external geography, the artist turns inward, excavating personal history and internal landscapes to construct a sense of comfort and familiarity. Through this introspective process, the work seeks to resonate across cultural boundaries, using the universal language of art to bridge diverse experiences and foster connection. His work invites viewers to reflect on their own definitions of home and displacement, revealing the shared humanity at the core of migration and memory. 

Ghirmay came to Seattle at age of seventeen after an extensive immigration journey from Eritrea through Sudan and South America. His diverse experiences have deeply influenced his artistic perspective, reshaping his concept of home, history and space. The artist shares, “My artworks explore the complexities of identity and emotional experiences through a range of mediums. I'm fascinated by the ways in which we communicate our innermost feelings through our facial expressions and body language. I draw inspiration from the stories, ambitions, and worries of those around me, seeking to capture these narratives through my brushstrokes, charcoal marks, and carefully chosen color palettes.”

After a complex immigration journey from Eritrea, East Africa, Nahom Ghirmay arrived in Seattle as a teenager. Largely self-taught, his artistic journey flourished in Seattle through taking studio workshops, participating in residencies and exhibitions, and mentoring students as a Teaching Artist at Urban Artworks in Seattle, Washington. He is currently a working artist at BaseCamp Studios in downtown Seattle. Ghirmay has exhibited his work in several regional venues including Seattle Art Fair, Taswira Gallery, King Street Station Gallery, Gallery 110, Coca Gallery, and Harris Harvey Gallery. His public art experience includes projects with Seattle Office of Art & Culture Public Art Bootcamp, Shunpike Storefronts, Belltown Mural Festival, Rainier Valley Creative District Public Mural, Rainier Beach Urban Farm, and Collaborative Public Mural, Central District. In 2019, Ghirmay graduated from the University of Washington with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.