Birungi Kawooya
In several of the Portico Library’s Georgian and Victorian books, dance is listed among sports and pastimes, but today it is appreciated as an art form around the world. Birungi Kawooya's mixed-media collages of card and African batik textiles depict women performing traditional Ugandan Kiganda and modern Hiplet dances.
“I create art that I want to see more of in the wider world... I am passionate about creating art embodying the beauty of the African diaspora.”
Kiganda Dancers, 2019, Birungi Kawooya, mixed-media collage of card and African batik textiles
“Traditional Kiganda dancers are always a highlight of weddings and special occassions. The dancers perform in a simple formation, the complexity is reserved for the shaking and rotating of the hips. As the tempo of the drums increases, so does the hip shaking - amplified by the fur or straw skirt tied to the waist. The pros are impossibly fast and hypnotic. Amateurs like me draw them instead!”
Hiplet Ballerinas, 2019, Birungi Kawooya, mixed-media collage of card and African batik textiles, 42 x 30cm
“Homer Bryant’s hiplet dance fuses ballet and hip hop with amazing effect. I captured a sequence where the ballerinas would get low and rise to sashay away - majestic!”
See more of Birungi’s work at www.birungikawooyaart.com and watch Kiganda and Hiplet dancers here and here.