Chris Aynalem's work draws on her experience as an Ethiopian-American, on her evolving understanding of what identity means to her, and on a deep admiration of dystopian storytelling, among other things.

In her art, nothing is quite what it seems. She uses that tension to pull the viewer into spaces that feel uncomfortable and uncanny, familiar but slightly off. Central to her practice is a concern for cultures fading under the pressures of globalization and optimization. Preserving and honoring what is disappearing shapes every piece she makes.