AMASAKA GALLERY

Our story starts in Masaka, a city in central Uganda located two hours south of the capital, Kampala. It's widely believed that the name Masaka comes from the word 'Amasaka' which means sorghum in the Rwandese language, Kinyarwanda. Given Masaka’s fertile soils, the area was a haven for pastoralists who migrated from present-day Rwanda and Tanzania during the pre-colonial era. Among other staple crops, Masaka grew a lot of sorghum, which was used to feed humans and animals and to make beer. Masaka has now evolved into a culturally diverse community, one which is uniquely positioned as a hub for trade and cultural production. 

 It’s upon this historical connotation that the gallery's founder, artist Collin Sekajugo, was inspired to name the gallery Amasaka Gallery.

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Amasaka gallery was founded in 2020 as part of Sekajugo's efforts to boost Uganda’s presence in the internationalcontemporary art scene.  The gallery aims to encourage young Ugandan artists to innovate new ideas and enhance their practice to meet international standards. 

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Our mentorship program allows artists to think creatively, utilize the abundance of local materials, and fuse with imported art materials to create artwork whose thought process and execution challenge local art making norms.  

As one of Uganda's leading contemporary art galleries, we are working restlessly through various channels to discover, nurture, and promote local talent both at home and internationally.