Introducing Birungi Kawooya
Njabala Foundation is delighted to welcome Birungi Kawooya for a five month artist in Residency.
Birungi’s residency has been tailored to provide for her specific needs as a Ugandan - British
artist with the urge to indulge with her own roots and culture.
By living in Uganda for 6 months,
she is looking to develop her storytelling whilst learning to use ensansi (palm leaves), embugo
(Bark cloth), Kiganda dance, ebyaayi (banana fibre) and sewing in her artwork. Having grown up
in
London, she feels separate from the indigenous artisanal practices of Uganda and wants to
reconnect
to her culture.
Birungi is a collage artist who uses hand-cut paper silhouettes, fabric and paint to explore her
British Ugandan identity and inviting viewers to prioritise their wellbeing. She is working
towards
creating life size self-portraits and installations around the theme of rest and care to exhibit
with the Njabala Foundation in March 2023. She has been supported by the Arts Council England.
Birungi Kawooya is a self-taught collage artist, art tutor and producer inspired by nature,
Black womxn and the ingenuity of dance from the African diaspora. She uses materials from
Uganda, paper and paint.
Her work has been exhibited in The New Art Gallery Walsall, Hastings
Contemporary and The Portico Library has a sculpture installed in London as part of The World
Reimagined art trail. She translates the motion of dance from the African diaspora into
2-dimensional pieces. Her work is often infused with the lush plant life such as tropical
flowers and matooke (banana) trees and are referenced in the Josephine Baker collection. As a
cultural producer, she commissioned a film on Kiganda dance and plans to create more for source
material for future artwork and to raise awareness of Ganda culture.
Birungi Kawooya, Image Courtesy of the artist
Birungi Kawooya is a self-taught collage artist, art tutor and producer inspired by nature,
Black womxn and the ingenuity of dance from the African diaspora. She uses materials from
Uganda, paper and paint.
Her work has been exhibited in The New Art Gallery Walsall, Hastings
Contemporary and The Portico Library has a sculpture installed in London as part of The World
Reimagined art trail. She translates the motion of dance from the African diaspora into
2-dimensional pieces. Her work is often infused with the lush plant life such as tropical
flowers and matooke (banana) trees and are referenced in the Josephine Baker collection. As a
cultural producer, she commissioned a film on Kiganda dance and plans to create more for source
material for future artwork and to raise awareness of Ganda culture.
