From Waste to Wonder: How This Artist Transforms Used Materials into Art!
Leilah Babirye (b. 1985) is a Ugandan artist based in New York. Known for her abstract sculptures made out of used materials, Babirye's pieces are all “woven, whittled, wielded, burned and burnished”. Her use of discarded materials relates to abasiyazi in Luganda, meaning "rubbish" and is a prerogative to refer to members of the LGBTQIA community.
Babirye described her aims as using “the act of burning, nailing and assembling. I aim to address the realities of being gay in the context of Uganda and Africa in general. Recently, my working process has been fuelled by a need to find a language to respond to the recent passing of the anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda.” Through material and subject matter, masks, she asserts that queer identities are not oppositional to African identities.
Highlights:
- Babirye studied art at Makerere University in Kampala from 2007 to 2010
- In May of 2022 she created “Black Atlantic” which is a Public Art Fund project at the Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York
- La Biennale di Venezia 2024 is the first time Leilah’s work was presented at Biennale Arte.
- Click here for more information about how to see her work in this year’s Venice Biennale!
- Click the links to learn more about Babirye and her work here and on social media
