Collin Sekajugo Uganda, b. 1980

Collin Sekajugo is a community-conscious, multidisciplinary artist whose practice is deeply rooted in social engagement. Born to a Ugandan father and a Rwandese mother, Sekajugo explores themes of identity shaped by his multicultural background and environment.

Though he did not receive formal art training, a transformative study tour across Eastern and Southern Africa in 2006 exposed him to diverse artistic expressions and philosophies. This experience profoundly influenced his approach to art-making, positioning his work as a mirror of the society he inhabits.

Sekajugo's multimedia practice engages with questions of identity-social, cultural, political, and economic-within both local and global contexts. Often using his figure as a recurring character in his painted collages, he examines the complexities of multi-ethnicity and the biases it can provoke. Through the masking of faces or body parts, he evokes the tensions between personal identity and systemic discrimination, especially along ethnic or class lines.

His choice of materials-recycled polypropylene bags, denim fabric, and waste paper-speaks to both his commitment to sustainability and his interest in embedding community narratives into his work. These found materials, sourced from everyday life, become tools to construct a visual language that is both accessible and symbolically rich. Sekajugo's collages serve as metaphors for resilience, challenging the lingering cliché that Africa does not produce contemporary art.

In 2022, Sekajugo represented Uganda at the 59th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, where the Uganda Pavilion received a Special Mention for National Participation. His work is held in major institutional collections, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., and the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, Wisconsin. He has also exhibited widely at major exhibitions and international art fairs such as Art Basel and Frieze.