Katesi Jacqueline Kalange
Katesi Jacqueline Kalange is a 29-year-old process-based visual artist from Uganda. She holds a Master’s degree in Art and Industrial Design from Kyambogo University. Her multidisciplinary practice interweaves sculpture, architecture, installation, research and performance art. Drawing deeply from African indigenous wisdom, she explores its role in nurturing harmony between humans and non-human beings within shared ecosystems.
Rooted in her heritage and guided by African philosophies such as “Okwisania na Maani,” Ubuntu, and Sankofa, her work emphasizes the importance of revisiting the past to inform the present and future.
Through community-driven collaborations, she sparks dialogue about the intricate relationship between humans and their environment. In response to global waste challenges, particularly non-biodegradable materials like plastics and second-hand clothes, Kalange’s art engages repurposing inspired by indigenous weaving techniques.
In a rapidly changing world where modernity often eclipses ancestral wisdom, her art transcends visual form to become an archive of knowledge reimagining the interconnectedness our ancestors shared with the environment. Her creations invite reflection on unlearning exploitative attitudes toward non-human nature and fostering respect for all beings. Her practice challenges historical misrepresentations that dismiss African indigenous wisdom as barbaric, uncivilized and unGodly, instead positioning it as a foundation for innovation and sustainable solutions.
Beyond academia, Kalange has expanded her knowledge through residencies; between 2018 and 2022, she was mentored at Tadooba Art Gallery in Mbalala and at 32° East, Kampala. In 2023, she completed a three-month residency at Nubuke Foundation, Wa-Loho, Ghana, followed by a ten-week residency at GAS Foundation, Nigeria, in 2024. Later that year, she undertook a research residency at the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa, University of Ghana, Legon.
Her group exhibitions include KLA Art Festival (2021), STEAM Festival (2023), East African Visual Artists Connect (2021), Passport Exhibition (2021), and Silent Invasions: The Art of Material Hacking (2022). Her recognitions include the Small Project Grant Fund (Goethe Zentrum, 2021), Prince Claus Mentorship Award (2021), El Anatsui Fellowship alternate (2023), Venice Architecture Biennale College participant (2023), Tilga Art Fund Grand Finalist (2023), and MIASA Artist in Residence Fellowship (2024).
Rooted in her heritage and guided by African philosophies such as “Okwisania na Maani,” Ubuntu, and Sankofa, her work emphasizes the importance of revisiting the past to inform the present and future.
Through community-driven collaborations, she sparks dialogue about the intricate relationship between humans and their environment. In response to global waste challenges, particularly non-biodegradable materials like plastics and second-hand clothes, Kalange’s art engages repurposing inspired by indigenous weaving techniques.
In a rapidly changing world where modernity often eclipses ancestral wisdom, her art transcends visual form to become an archive of knowledge reimagining the interconnectedness our ancestors shared with the environment. Her creations invite reflection on unlearning exploitative attitudes toward non-human nature and fostering respect for all beings. Her practice challenges historical misrepresentations that dismiss African indigenous wisdom as barbaric, uncivilized and unGodly, instead positioning it as a foundation for innovation and sustainable solutions.
Beyond academia, Kalange has expanded her knowledge through residencies; between 2018 and 2022, she was mentored at Tadooba Art Gallery in Mbalala and at 32° East, Kampala. In 2023, she completed a three-month residency at Nubuke Foundation, Wa-Loho, Ghana, followed by a ten-week residency at GAS Foundation, Nigeria, in 2024. Later that year, she undertook a research residency at the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa, University of Ghana, Legon.
Her group exhibitions include KLA Art Festival (2021), STEAM Festival (2023), East African Visual Artists Connect (2021), Passport Exhibition (2021), and Silent Invasions: The Art of Material Hacking (2022). Her recognitions include the Small Project Grant Fund (Goethe Zentrum, 2021), Prince Claus Mentorship Award (2021), El Anatsui Fellowship alternate (2023), Venice Architecture Biennale College participant (2023), Tilga Art Fund Grand Finalist (2023), and MIASA Artist in Residence Fellowship (2024).