Sheila Nakitende
Ugandan
Bandaged Conscience
2016
Recycled paper, weaving paper, charcoal, and oil pastel
The Kampala Art Biennale, Kampala, Uganda
Nakitende uses everyday items to tell stories of daily life. In Bandaged Conscience, Nakitende considers the pain many women face in and beyond Uganda because of sexual assault. Nakitende modernizes the past by encouraging women to be vocal and tell their stories through new materials and techniques (Scudier, 2018). Nakitende plays with a variety of visual media, using colorful ribbons to address the toxic customs of Ugandan society (Unseen Art Scene, 2012). In Bandaged Conscience, a male figure gropes a woman’s breast. The anonymity of figures suggests that anyone could be in this situation, which is not an isolated occurrence. The colored ribbons along the female’s face explain that most women are assaulted by men they know, such as their best friend or father (Nakitende, 2018).
References:
- Nakitende, Sheila. “Sheila Nakitende.” Woman Made Gallery – Ensuring the Equal Placement of Women’s Art in the World., 19 Jan. 2018, womanmade.org/artwork/sheila-nakitende/.
- Scudier, Kathryn. “Pulpology: Sheila Nakitende in the Studio.” Women’s Studio Workshop, 1 Feb. 2018, wsworkshop.org/2018/02/sheila-nakitende/.
- Unseen Art Scene. “Sheila Nakitende | Ugandan Artist B.1983-Present.” African Artists, 3 June 2012, africanartists.blogspot.com/2012/03/sheila-nakitende-ugandan-artist-b1983_06.html.
