An Ethiopian-Australian Connection of Love and Art

Julie Mehretu and Jessica Rankin have more in common than a predilection for abstract landscapes sweeping with layers, codes, and constellations—the Ethiopian-Australian couple share two children and a studio in Harlem, New York. The pair first met in 2000 at a bar, “the old-fashioned way,” as Rankin has joked. “I realized pretty quickly that it was for the rest of my life,” she continued. “I think Julie was a little slower to get there. It was after six months that we started to take it seriously—something forever.”