Lot 28

Donald Wasswa (Ugandan, born 1978)
Untitled (Abstract Figures), 2017
Signed ‘Waswad.17’ (lower left)
Pen on paper
21.5 x 39 cm
KES 150,000 – 250,000
(US$) 1,200 – 2,000
Provenance: Direct from the artist

Donald Wasswa is a multidisciplinary artist whose artwork encourages conversations about the future of humankind whilst considering the influence of science and technology in modern societies. He studies the process of transformation, with his primary focus on humans versus a given environment, social interactions, and the nature of communication involved. Wasswa’s artworks and research are influenced by real events, which rely on spontaneous encounters with natural or found objects. These objects are carriers of memories of places that he claims as art materials. Wasswa carves, assembles and arranges the found objects into sculptures, 3D paintings, and, at times, installations. Wasswa imagines the secret lives of human-made objects and how they determine the future of humans.



Wasswa studied Sculpture at Kyambogo University. His practice has evolved to encompass sculpture, painting, and performance. He was the 2016 recipient of the Merit Award in the Absa L’Atelier competition. Wasswa has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Uganda and abroad, including: Zikunta, Kampala, 2016; To Live is to Become, Afriart Gallery, Kampala, 2017; Degenerative Evolution of the Living, Absa Art Gallery, Johannesburg in 2018. In 2019, Wasswa was one of the selected artists for Ouagadougou Sculpture Biennial and showed at 1-54 and a group exhibition with Circle at Cromwell Place in 2021. He is currently based in Kampala where he is the founder/proprietor of Artpunch Studio.