Projects

Silhouette Projects is Afriart Gallery Kampala’s professional growth division and artist residency program.

It is our mission to create an environment where professional African artists can thrive in their work and careers. We carefully select talented artists and support them through our professional growth and mentorship programs and then invest in their visibility through exhibitions, art fairs, biennales, and museum shows.

Silhouette Project - Artist in Residence Programme (SP-AIR) offers artists the opportunity to have space and time to focus on their work. The residency focuses on the long-term impact on the careers of visiting artists. SP-AIR provides the opportunity for artists to create new work, network with people they might not otherwise meet, and ultimately grow as an artist.

The 150sqm warehouse studio and residence are located in Kampala's old industrial area. The hustle and bustle of this area make it a perfect location for artists seeking inspiration. The studio space is designed in such a way that it can accommodate the artists-in-residence, but also host workshops, creative meetings, artistic performances, and presentations. Within the premises of the studio warehouse complex, there is a lively bar, coffee shop, co-working space, and gallery that are popular with Kampala's art scene visitors. 

The program supports the artists' networking opportunities, and production needs such as space, working materials, lodging, and travel. Artists will be part of a supportive community and will be engaged in a curriculum that includes reading, writing, and researching assignments around relevant topics. The 3 months residency program is open to two to three talented, emerging young artists from the African continent who work in disciplines such as painting, drawing, installation art, sculpture, performance art, and others, and who would benefit from coaching and mentorship by industry professionals. Residents are expected to be strongly self-driven, inquisitive, and motivated to develop new ideas and focus on their artistic direction. 

Residency Alumni:

2025

Karuma Christine, Kenya

Esra Rahma Abdalla, Sudan

2023

Fiker Solomon, Ethiopia

Daniel Atenyi, Uganda

Amani Azhari, Sudan

2022

Kaleab Abate, Ethiopia

April Kamunde, Kenya

2021

Emmie Nume, Uganda

Vitus Wasswa, Uganda

Charlene Komuntale, Uganda

2020

Erinah Fridah, Uganda

Victoria Nabulime, Uganda

Odur Ronald, Uganda

Richard Atugonza, Uganda

Surfaces is a conceptual development master class organized by Afriart Gallery and mentored by Henry Mzili Mujunga. Following AAG's mission to act as an incubator for emerging talent from the region, the three editions from 2024, 2019 and 2017 brought now established artists like Sungi Mlengeya, Richard Atugonza and Mona Taha, Arim Andrew, Ocom Adonias, and John Baptist Sekubulwa on the scene.

Participants Surfaces 3 (2024):
Andema Jean, Akeu Lyton Mable, Esra Rahma, Henry Kiyingi, Kaboyo Treavor, Kamahungye Precious, Kashushu, Nelson Ijakaa, Nicole Remus, Nshekanabo Peter, Ogwado Joachim, Rhona Nantege, Shalom Nicolette, Victor Banyewesize, Wamala Nyanzi

Participants Surfaces 2 (2019):

Atugonza Richard, Okulo Noor, Mona Taha, Sserwadda Remmy, Joji Kan, Joe Bukenya, Francis Ainembabazi, Aloka Aloka, Taneta Phyllia, Makumbi Allan, Sungi Mlengeya, Nsuutamukama Favour, Nantongo Olivia, Luyombya Harold

Participants Surfaces 1 (2017):

Arim Andrew, Ocom Adonias, Farid Mahfudh, Piloya Irene, Sekubulwa John Baptist, Magala Brian Kiwanuka, Kyakonye Allan, Neema Iyer, Migadde Adrian, Leonard Opondo

Vivid Synergies! is an artist residency by Afriart Gallery (AAG) that has been funded through the Ignite Culture Grant. The program was meant to create synergies between East African visual artists, writers, and curators. From May 2023 until April 2024 there have been three residencies in total, namely Residency I with Denzel Muhumuza (visual artist), Gretta Ingabire (writer), Gloria Coutinho (curator); Residency II with Rebecca Khamala (visual artist), Lloyd Lutara (writer); and Residency III with Daniel Atenyi (visual artist) and Matt Kayem (writer). These three groups each dealt with different themes spanning from the convergence of nature and human connection to reimagining urban narratives in Kampala to human emotions in a dialogue between music and art.

Each residency group processed and built on two cultural products being released at the end of each residency: An exhibition and a book. These were not stay-in residencies, the artists were free to meet and create from wherever they were. Throughout the project, there have been events opening the residency journey to the public through three studio talks at Afriart Gallery and three workshops in various outdoor locations in Kampala. The studio conversations provided insightful glimpses into the residency journeys of the participating artists and engaged diverse audiences across art and non-art public and anthropological and mental health actors as event moderators. The talks took place leaning towards the end of each residency working as activation for each upcoming project showcase.

The workshops marked one of the first events during each residency, enabling the residency artists to intensely research their topic of interest through exchange with selected local communities through writing, art, and gaming activities. The artists gathered knowledge and information on their respective themes and experience to work with partners such as ECOaction Uganda, Utalii Creative, WPI Foundation Uganda, and KCCA (in the case of Residency II). 

In a dynamic series of artistic endeavors spanning three residencies, each Vivid Synergies! group culminated in a project showcase including an exhibition event and a book launch. 

Residency I celebrated the launch of a visual and poetry showcase titled THE SUN, THE MOON AND THE TRUTH on December 2nd, 2023, at Akamwesi Shopping Mall in Kampala's suburban Kyebando. Curated by Gloria Coutinho, this unconventional exhibition aimed to broaden art accessibility and engage the public. Featuring wide digital artworks by Denzel Muhumuza and floating poetry canvases by Gretta Ingabire under the mall’s glass dome, the showcase sought to evoke a connection with nature and ancestral wisdom. Live performances by Mitirikpwe Patricia, Collin Sserunjogi, and Ingabire Gretta added vibrancy to the opening day. The exhibition was accessible to the public until the 6th of January 2024 and garnered interest from mall visitors, especially among the younger audience drawn to the digital and Afro-futuristic elements. This residency was rounded off through a successful book launch on February 9th, 2024, with the publication of the concurrent book title "The Sun, The Moon and the Truth" by Gretta Ingabire. 

Exhibition event Residency II titled TUULA. ZANYA. WUMULA (sit. play. rest) opened on March 28th, 2024, at Railway Gardens along Jinja Road in central Kampala. This showcase, focused on public rest spaces, featured innovative installations by the visual artist Rebecca Khamala such as stools, benches, and game stations, strategically positioned throughout the garden to captivate passersby. The curated artworks not only invited interaction but also sparked conversations about the importance of accessible and welcoming urban environments. Attendees such as locals and the local art community appreciated the creativity and relevance of the artworks in an evolving urban landscape, with many expressing enthusiasm for future collaborations aimed at enhancing public spaces.

Exhibition event Residency III, A BREAK IN CONTINUITY by artist Daniel Atenyi, debuted on April 25th, 2024, at Latitude 0 Degrees Hotel in Kampala. This thought-provoking exhibition showed works of charcoal and coffee wash exploring themes of disruption and transformation, inviting viewers to contemplate the interconnectedness of past, present, and future emotions. Accompanied by live performances, including poetry & music by Devis the Poet and Ebrahim Soul’O, and dance interpretations by Rachael Nakato and Frank Mugisha, the opening event provided a multi-sensory experience that resonated with the exhibition attendees. The show is running until the end of May 2024 with an exhibition walk curated by the artist himself on 26th May to round up his solo show.

The Book Launch for Residencies II and III marked the final Vivid Synergies! event happening on April 30th, 2024, at Sankara Pan-African Library. This event celebrated the publications THE NAGOYE TREE by Lloyd Lutara and SOUL ART by Matt Kayem, both books representing the culmination of each of their residencies working together with a visual artist on the side.  While Lloyd's fantasy science-fiction epic explores the idea of public and communal spaces as portals through time as well as monuments of cultural importance, SoulArt by Matt engages in a conversation exploring the parallels between art and music, with a particular focus on soul music and the reflection in Daniel Ateny's work.

Looking at the residencies’ journey and what unfolded during the project period, the artists explored new spaces of purposeful connections, learned interdisciplinary approaches in their practices, and got out of their comfort zones. The output of the residency program – counting three exhibitions and three books being published – has distinctly contributed to the creative industry in Uganda and East Africa and provoked an expressed need by the local arts community: the strive for more collaborative work – the strive for more archiving and publishing art from the African Continent.

Follow the AAG YouTube Channel to watch the Vivid Synergies! documentation episodes with all artists’ residency journeys.

Vivid Synergies! is supported by a grant from Ignite Culture: ACP-EU Culture Programme Eastern Africa). This fund is being implemented by HEVA, in partnership with the British Council Kenya with the financial contribution of the European Union, and with further support from the Organisation of ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) States. It is part of the global ACP-EU Culture Programme.

The project team included Sina Weber as Program Manager, Jacob Joshua Kajebe and Lawrence Kimbugwe as Studio Assistants (subsequently), Auma Selah Kobel as Project Accountant, and Daniel Waniya & team for Video and Photography.