Leilah Babirye

Nansamba II from the Kuchu Ngabi (Antelope) Clan (2021)

Close Looking: Queer African Art and Belong

Visual description:

Nansamba II appears at eye level, meeting the viewer directly. The sculpture does not recede into the background; instead, it holds its space with a quiet steadiness. The bust is intimate in scale, yet carries a strong presence through stillness rather than physical size.

The head is upright and slightly lifted. The expression is calm and controlled, with a composed mouth and subtly defined eyes. There is no exaggerated gesture, but the posture feels deliberate and grounded.

Glazed ceramic forms the base of the sculpture, reflecting light in uneven, shifting tones. Wrapped around and integrated into this form are bicycle tire inner tubes and found materials. The rubber coils around the head and neck, creating contrast between flexible and fixed elements.

The materials remain visible and recognizable. They are not smoothed over or concealed, and the construction stays legible. As light moves across the surface, textures shift between smooth and reflective areas and rough, layered seams.

Context:

Leilah Babirye was born in Kampala, Uganda, and now lives and works in New York. Her practice centers queer identity, belonging, and survival in response to the persecution of LGBTQ+ people in Uganda.

Babirye draws on the clan system of the Buganda kingdom, where identity is structured through lineage, ancestry, and totemic animals. Clan membership shapes social belonging and connects individuals to collective memory.

In her work, Babirye reclaims this system. As she explains, “I am going to be giving names from different clans to my queer community.” Rather than rejecting tradition, she redirects it. Naming becomes an act of inclusion, constructing a new lineage for those historically excluded.

Her titles often include kuchu, meaning queer, and use the feminizing prefix “Na,” further reshaping language as a tool of belonging.

The antelope, referenced in the Ngabi (Antelope) Clan, is associated with alertness and movement. This adds a layer of meaning to the sculpture’s still yet attentive presence.

Babirye’s use of discarded materials is also intentional. In Luganda, a derogatory term for gay people translates to “sugarcane husk,” something treated as waste. By transforming discarded materials into portraiture, she restores value and dignity to what society attempts to reject.

Interpretation:

Nansamba II reimagines belonging as something that can be constructed rather than inherited. Through the act of naming, Babirye shifts lineage from a fixed system into a chosen and expanded form of community.

The materials reinforce this idea. Ceramic hardens through fire, suggesting endurance under pressure. The rubber from bicycle tires introduces a different quality—flexibility, resilience, and movement. At the same time, it creates tension, as it wraps and presses against the form.

Together, these materials reflect how identity can be both supported and constrained. They suggest resilience without erasing pressure.

The calm expression of the figure is also significant. The sculpture does not perform suffering. Instead, it presents strength through composure. This quiet presence resists expectations that marginalized identities must visibly display struggle.

The emphasis on the head adds another layer. In Baganda culture, the head carries spiritual significance and connects to ancestry. The materials gathering around it begin to feel protective, suggesting both individuality and connection to lineage.

Placed within a museum context, the work also engages institutional space. By entering a national collection, Babirye’s sculpture asserts queer identity within systems that have historically excluded it.

Rather than rejecting tradition, the work expands it. Belonging is no longer only inherited; it can be reclaimed, reshaped, and chosen.

Reflect and Explore

• How does Babirye’s use of naming challenge traditional ideas of lineage and belonging?

• What do the materials suggest about resilience, pressure, and transformation?

• How does the sculpture’s calm expression shape your understanding of strength or resistance?

• What role does the head play in communicating identity and connection to ancestry?

• How does the museum setting influence how you interpret the work?

  
  

Learn More

Artist & Primary Sources

• Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco — Leilah Babirye

• Smithsonian National Museum of African Art — Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art

  
  

Further Resources

• Alex Marshall, The Art Newspaper (2021)

  
  

Contextual Reading

• Baganda clan systems and totemic traditions

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Leilah Babirye Nansamba II queer African art