Melissa Aytenfisu
Melissa Aytenfisu is a Canadian artist who specializes in oil paintings, digital print media, photography, printmaking, and drawing. A native of Edmonton, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education at the University of Alberta, before moving to Montreal where she eventually received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University. During the years in between, Aytenfisu taught high school in Quebec, China and the United States while honing her craft and creating works that have appeared in exhibitions across multiple continents. Her experiences growing up in a multiracial family of nine and traveling through Africa, Asia, and North America have directed her artistic practice toward themes of identity, mobility and social justice.
Melissa is currently a teaching artist at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. She lives in Houston, Texas with her two toddlers Tyson Bedilu and Zara Tsedenia.