Originally Published in The Voice of San Francisco in June 2024
Ugandan Artist Leilah Babirye’s First US Solo Exhibition at the de Young
We Have a History is artist Leilah Babirye’s sculptural tribute to reclaiming identity via the discarded objects that symbolize marginalized people. Born in Kampala, Uganda and based in New York, this will be her first solo exhibition in the United States. 12 sculptures in this exhibit-3 of them new-will be on view, all of them created utilizing discarded materials in a dialogue with history.
Reclaimed Objects and Identity
As a leading voice in contemporary sculpture, Babirye’s expressive, ambiguously gendered sculptures in ceramic, wood and found objects utilizes ceramic and wood-carving traditions from West and Central Africa. Working with natural clay, wood and other materials, she hand-builds her ceramics with vibrant glazes while she whittles, scorches and burnishes her wood sculptures. Final touches include adornments of wire, bicycle chains, inner tubes and found metals and materials collected from the streets of New York. She saves and sanctifies the discarded for very personal reasons. The pejorative term for the gay community in the Luganda language is abasiyazi, meaning “Sugarcane husk”. In other words, Babirye explains, “It’s rubbish-the part of the sugarcane you throw out.” Transforming the disposable and discarded into powerful totems is a gesture of liberation in her own work.
Tradition in Portraiture
Busts, talismans and masks form portraits of the artist’s LGBTQ+ community. Each sculpture is given a name rooted in traditions of clanship and the Kingdom of Buganda. Wire, glue, wax, nails and other found ephemera often sit on the top of Babirye’s heads, poised like crowns. Established in the late 14th century, Buganda is one of the largest of the medieval kingdoms in present-day Uganda. Babirye invokes the openly bisexual 19th century Bugandan king Mwanga II to support her critique of the homophobic attitudes that took root in Uganda during colonialism. Namasole Naluggwa (The King’s Mother), 2019 is made from glazed ceramic, wood, metal and found objects depicting a serene face, eyes closed as if in meditation with silver metal rings coiled high over its head. Omugole Omukyala Namirembe Kaddulubale (Peaceful Bride of Mwanga II) depicts a bride in stunning contrasts of black and white. Silver can lids are braided and draped over the figure’s face like a bridal veil, and as finishing touch, a tall beaded headpiece. Each of the artist’s heads project an unwavering sense of strength and charisma.
Forwarding Queer Voices
Babirye fuses African historical sculpture with a contemporary flair in ceramics, sculpture and design. We Have a History creatively reengages objects in the Fine Arts Museum’s African art collection that speak to ideas of community and belonging. Ateu Atsa’s Bangwa Figure in Commemoration of a Chief from 1840-1870 is the perfect companion piece to Babirye’s figures – the elongated head, stylized features and head adornments communicate the same beauty, authority and power. Ijo’s Figure, 20th century is a head made of wood, pigment and glass. Possessing multiple faces that twist around its neck and shoulders, it communicates the complexity of human identity.
“Leilah Babirye represents a new generation of sculptors transcending traditional boundaries while maintaining a deep connection to its roots. Her monumental sculptures have become recognized symbols of queer Black love, celebrating the resilience and ingenuity of African people while also preserving their rich cultural heritage. She has bused sculpture forward by carving place for queer artists and queer community while creating some of the most interesting, challenging, and ambitious forms- freely transforming the body, prodding social taboos, and redefining beauty”, said Natasha Becker curator of African Art, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Film
To coincide with the opening of the exhibition, the Fine Arts Museums will premiere a film centered on Leilah Babirye’s artistic practice and journey as an artist. In the film, she shares her reflections on the sculptures she created for We Have a History. The film is part of FAMSF Presents, a video series highlighting the work of artists shown at the de Young and Legion of Honor museums, including the Webby Award honoree Patrick Kelly: The American in Paris.