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Portrait Olivia Mary Nantongo

OLIVIA MARY NANTONGO
Born 1994. Kampala, Uganda

Olivia Mary Nantongo is a Ugandan mixed media artist. Renowned for her captivating portraits, she focuses her lens on African women, capturing their unyielding pride in their identity and appearance. Central to her artistic philosophy is the recognition of pervasive self-love challenges among women in contemporary society. Nantongo's artistic oeuvre serves as a profound exploration of the female form and its inherent political significance within cultural contexts and public discourse. Through her work, she champions the independence, liberation, and confidence of her subjects, emphasizing their inherent uniqueness. In her pursuit of challenging conventional perceptions of female beauty, Nantongo employs a post-colonial lens, disrupting established norms and presenting her subjects with a self-assured gaze against vibrant backdrops. Utilizing a diverse range of mediums including photography, digital art, performance, poetry, and painting, she intricately weaves her message into each piece. Nantongo's work has garnered significant acclaim, with exhibitions spanning across Uganda and extending to international platforms such as the recent inclusion in the "East meets East" exhibition at the CoCuDi Centre in Jerusalem. Through her artistry, Nantongo aspires to provoke contemplation and inspire a paradigm shift in viewers' understanding of femininity and beauty.

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