Tegene was born in 1985, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he frequently played soccer. Winning the second prize for children in an art competition that was organized in Japan significantly impacted his artistic career. For Tegene, since an artist whom he considered better got only the third prize, the second prize, “was a surprise.” As a teenager, Tegene visited museums and art galleries. In 2008, he joined the Addis Ababa University School of Fine Art and Design. However, before he completed his studies, he immigrated to Israel to join his father who was living in Jerusalem. After two years of working a day job and painting, he moved back to Ethiopia to live with his wife and son. Currently, Tegene lives and works as a full-time studio artist in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where has been actively participating in major art events. To name a few, Tegene’s works have appeared at the National Museum of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Studies Museum, and major galleries and art fairs in Addis Ababa. In 2015 his first international individual exhibition was held in Tobya Art Galley in Seattle, United States followed by a group-show at Havremagasinet Gallery in, Boden, Sweden.