Leilah Babirye on Reclaiming Her Queer Community

Uganda-born, New York-based artist Leilah Babirye examines history and clan hierarchy in the kingdom of Buganda, a Bantu enclave within Uganda, as well as the legacy of British colonialism in her home country. Her large-scale ceramic pieces, wooden sculptures, masks, drawings, and paintings on paper—all incorporating found materials—grapple with LGBTQ history, while reclaiming the Ugandan historical narrative and cultural traditions. Faces made in ceramic appear to have been poured w