Collin Sekajugo Ugandan, b. 1980

Collage is a predominant technique in Sekajugo’s art. Often these collages are produced using found objects, such as locally-sourced materials like Polypropylene bags, denim fabric, wastepaper, and product labels. The use of these materials renders these works both a commentary on contemporary consumer culture as well as an invitation for his audience to engage with his work through the familiar. Sustainability emerges as a resonant theme across these works as a result, encouraging reflection on environmental impact, the persistence of artmaking in Africa despite its marginalization, and the durability of prejudices regarding ethnicity and class. These collages are assembled using precise use of color and sweeping lines drawn by hand to sharply define forms and features.

Sekajugo’s art has been exhibited at solo and group exhibitions in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Dubai, the United Kingdom, and Denmark, while some of his work resides in a permanent collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C. His work was part of the 2022 Venice Biennale’s Uganda National Pavillion, for which he received a Special Mention Award (with Acaye Kerunen) for outstanding achievement as a national pavilion. Other fairs that have showcased his work are 1-54 Paris and London, Johannesburg Art Fair, and Art X in Lagos. Sekajugo’s creative interests extend beyond his own portfolio to increasing the visibility of art from the places he calls home. He is the founder of RWAndA-n-Art Magazine, the Ivuka Arts Center in Kigali, Rwanda and the Weaver Bird Arts Community in Masaka, Uganda, all of which nurture and highlight art in his local communities.