Iyara Norah Karabo

“Art is worship.” This is a statement that Iyara lives by. It is what fuels her passion to create. Iyara was born in Uganda in 2001 and has since lived there, in the capital Kampala. She is 23 years old and has been working professionally since 2020. Iyara studied business at university but has chosen her artistic career path because she believes this is where her purpose and calling are. She uses the knowledge in business to help her manage her art income. From a very young age she has expressed her artistic inclination, to the point that all her math’s, biology, chemistry and all other books were filled with artwork and her teaches would let her draw in their lessons. She has never been able to stop drawing. Iyara specializes in portraits and figurative art. She is enthralled by the human body and sees it as a vehicle to a myriad of expressions. Her concepts are based on experiences she has that cannot be seen, she uses the physical realm to represent non-physical phenomena, such as she experiences when she worships God. She as well explores themes that touch the African context, a favorite of hers is African hair, and the African mindset. For example, in her painting “Her Glory” she portrays African women with different but all-natural African hair. This is a protest to the experience her and many other Ugandan girls experience where they have to cut their hair to go to school. She believes African natural hair is enough and need not be cut down to be smart for school. Her main mediums are paint and charcoal, but she has also experimented in other mediums but those are her preference. Iyara is a young, vibrant artist who is eager to learn and grow and express all the art inside her.