Final answer:
The artist of 'Escape into Life' is the Ethiopian-born Julie Mehretu, who is recognized for her large-scale, intricate paintings that reflect on layers of history and geography in modern cities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The artist of the painting titled 'Escape into Life' by an Ethiopian woman in 2002 is Julie Mehretu. Born in Ethiopia and moving to Michigan to escape the civil wars, Mehretu stands out as a laudable figure in the art world. She pursued her education at the Rhode Island School of Design and her work encapsulates layered acrylic paint on canvas, featuring abstracted images of historical events and geographical formations, often invoking the bustling life of cities through her use of maps, charts, and architectural elements. Although there is a possibility of confusion with artwork names due to the similarity in the question, it's important to differentiate that Julie Mehretu is the renowned artist in question, known for large-scale paintings, not sculptures or photography which are the mediums associated with artworks titled 'Ethiopia Awakening' by a different artist and the photography work by Aida Muluneh.