Dheeko became interested in art at a young age. While growing up, with the help of his father, he had a chance to visit a well- known artist in the area. His visits to this artist continued until his father left the family to mobilize people against the brutal Ethiopian regime. From the time his father left, life had dramatically changed. With no support, he experienced financial difficulties, and even put his life in danger to do what he loved to do. Due to the lack of resources, he would remove the Ethiopian government propaganda posters and use them for drawing.

In 1991, he fled to neighboring Kenya, where he got a chance to educate himself by mimicking artworks and by creating large size drawings which helped him greatly in becoming more confident. In 1993-1995 he taught children and teenagers drawing and painting techniques in Harsan Primary School, run by UNHCR.

From the years 2011- 2013, Dheeko was a fine art student at Georgian College where he received awards, scholarship, and honor roll in 2013. He moved to Toronto in April of 2013 to continue his studies at OCAD University. In 2015, he moved to Washington, D.C.

While an art student at Georgian College in Canada, his teachers, master printer Stu Oxley, abstract painter Gary Evans, and other faculty members helped him greatly to develop his artistic talents. OCADU Professors Mr. Chinkok Tan and Mr Ali advice and encouragement helped him to become more confident and creative. As an artist, he is always interested in learning new techniques and styles. His art involves the creation of figurative narratives with mathematical geometrical forms and personal subject matter that tell personal and historical events.

Moving to New York city was not easy. It took him several months to navigate the city and to integrate with New Yorkers. He learned that the city shelters more immigrant artists than any other U.S. city, even with its many challenges. Living in New York opened a door of opportunities to learn and expand his creativity. Today, Dheeko challenges himself to create large size artwork that references everything from Degas’ ballet dancers to the paintings of Aaron Douglas. Dheeko’s work is a personal reflection on a monumental scale—a love letter to the city that embraced him and a remembrance of things past.