Olana Janfa

Olana Janfa is a self-taught artist based in Melbourne. Janfa was born in Ethiopia, emigrated to Norway as a teen, and came to Australia in 2015. He began painting to connect with his culture and create a sense of home.

Taking stylistic cues from traditional Ethiopian Orthodox art and African street art, Janfa presents his take on the world as seen from his unique perspective – as an African-Norwegian man living in Australia.
Colourful, expressive and refreshingly immediate, Janfa’s work is distinctive for its often-humorous text captions and mix of wide-eyed characters that explore themes of family, popular culture, cultural identity and the migrant experience.