Lot 63 Donald Wasswa
Lot 63 Donald Wasswa
Donald Wasswa (Ugandan, born 1984)
Agaba (The Giver), 2019
Unsigned with certificate of authenticity
Albizia, ebony and copper eyelets
51 x 21 x 21 cm
Ksh 380,000 – 490,000
(US$ 3,500 – 4,500)
Provenance: Direct from the artist
Sold Ksh 387,420
Agaba is a delightful new addition to Donald Wasswa’s pantheon of strange, animalistic creatures. This continues a series of sculptural experiments by Wasswa, which grow from a preoccupation with evolution, and the effects of scientific and technological advancement on the make-up of human beings and their surroundings. Working primarily with indigenous Ugandan hardwoods, in this case ebony and mugavu (albizia), the impeccable, labour intensive finish gives his sculptures an intensely tactile quality.
Wasswa’s sculptures are speculations on the habitation of human and non-human animals in undesirable environments, transformation being the only constant in their evolution.
A multidisciplinary artist, 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. He has participated 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. He is currently based in Kampala where he is the founder/proprietor of Artpunch Studio.