Abdifatah Hussein Sheikh

Abtifatah Hussein Sheikh was born on 1 January 1969 in Mogadishu, Somalia.
At the age of 26, he came from Somalia to New Zealand. When he was 31, he had an accident that left him a quadriplegic.
In 2002, his friends encouraged him to start painting. He therefore visited extracurricular painting courses at the Spinal Unit in Otahuhu, Auckland. At first, he found painting with his mouth too difficult and he almost gave up, but thanks to his friends’ support, he continued. He gradually understood the process of painting and gained more trust in the application of paint, by focusing and concentrating strongly. He began to set new goals for his painting.
His pictures are of his home country, and he enjoys the memories that these pictures awaken in him.