Artist | Curator

Ariette Aklilu Alay Bahta is an Eritrean-American artist and curator based in Pittsburgh, PA, who was raised in the small borough of Swissvale, PA. She studied Fine Arts, Cultural Anthropology, and Gallery Curation at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 2022.

Her works explores the intertwining of contemporary idealism, cultural academia, and community through a diverse range using materials such as watercolor, oil paint, mix-media, and digital illustration 

Ariette’s work centers on portraying the lived experiences of Eritrean women from dread to beauty, and identity—both historical and contemporary—through the lenses of artistic expressionism. She seeks to shed light on underrepresented stories and stands as both a personal and political exploration rooted in heritage and visual storytelling.