Aïda Muluneh (born 1974, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) Ethiopian photographer, educator, and entrepreneur known for her Afrofuturist photography that incorporates vibrant colours and body painting[1] to create surreal scenes.

These plans took an unexpected turn, when her art teacher opened up a disused darkroom for his students and gave her a camera to use.

Although Muluneh began shooting photographs in high school, she did not imagine it as a career until her grandfather, who lived in Ethiopia, came to visit her family.

"[12] Muluneh stated, "My work often starts with a sketch, and I approach each image as a film production in which the character, set design, lighting and styling come together.

"[13] Muluneh founded Developing and Educating Societies Through the Arts (DESTA), through which she continues to facilitate and expand cultural projects.

[5] The Addis Foto Fest aimed to bring photography, which had yet to be fully accepted as an art form, to the masses in the same way that photographic studios brought to the public an activity that was once seen as restricted to the aristocracy.

Muluneh digs deep down to her roots as an Ethiopian and gives birth to a humble 28-piece series of culture, space, politics, history, the present, and future in a modern artistic way, including photographs taken at Leghar train station in Addis Ababa of models with African and Ethiopian complexions, bodies painted in bright bold colors, and traditional African body paint.

The woman's body is painted in a bright cerulean blue, with white dots going down the center of her face, following her neck and chest.

She wears the colors of the Ethiopian flag proudly in a bright canary yellow head scarf that hangs before the front of her upper body and a bold long red dress.

As Hannah Giorgis put it in The Atlantic, "Muluneh is not modest about the endeavor: 'I am basically taking the past to the future,' she said of her mission to galvanize the work of artistic self-portrayal and help shape a new vision of the continent.

[22] This series contains 12 distinct photographs taken at Dallol, Afar, Ethiopia, a rural area in the north with extremely hot weather all year round.

[24][23][25] Muluneh emphasized how "each piece is a reflection in addressing the impacts of water access as it relates to women's liberation, health, sanitation and education.

[23][26] Inspired by her Ethiopian culture, Muluneh incorporated traditional elements like clothing and face paint with bold colors into her photographs to raise awareness and advocate for changes in regions with water scarcity.

[28] Muluneh returned to Addis Abba from abroad to create a series of educational photography initiatives administered through her nonprofit DESTA for Africa.

Her efforts are centered on the activist conversation with photographers who have an interest in contemporary issues that affect the continent of Africa.