(Boston, MA—June 30, 2026) On August 27, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) opens Leilah Babirye: Embaga ya Naki ne Naki (Wedding of Naki and Naki), the artist’s first solo museum exhibition on the east coast. For the ICA, Babirye (b. 1985 in Kampala, Uganda) premiers a new body of work in a riveting installation imagined as an opulent, queer wedding. On view from August 27, 2026, to January 18, 2027, the exhibition is organized by Ruth Erickson, Barbara Lee Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at the ICA, with Max Gruber, Curatorial Assistant at the ICA, and will be accompanied by the artist’s first book.
Babirye’s large-scale sculptures are created through the artist’s deft carving of wood and expressive work with ceramics. She adorns her sculptures with discarded everyday items—transforming metal gears and bicycle chains into elaborate headdresses, and rubber inner tubes into braided tresses. Her use of debris is a reference to “abasiyazi,” a pejorative term for a gay person that translates to a type of rubbish in Luganda, one of the major languages spoken in Uganda. In her practice, Babirye reclaims these materials, using technical traditions from western and central Africa to create works that uplift and celebrate LGBTQ identities—an ethos driven by her own experience fleeing Uganda and seeking asylum in New York City after being outed as gay.
“Babirye writes about creating a sense of belonging when referencing her practice,” said Erickson and Gruber. “She takes found materials—rusted nails, metal cans, and bicycle inner tubes—and turns them into embellishments to adorn the figures that populate her installation, reclaiming personal and cultural identities in the process.”
In a vivid installation that is both wedding ceremony and celebration, each sculpture adopts a role—bride, groom, ring bearer, flower girl, bridesmaid, or groomsman. The figures stand atop pedestals that commingle with visitor seating, inviting viewers to participate in the ceremony and observe the newlyweds at the center of the gallery. Surrounding the wedding party are a number of towering figures in charred wood that represent the aunties, uncles, and ancestors who have populated the artist’s practice from the beginning.
On Thursday, November 12, Babirye will be in conversation with Erickson at the ICA. In conjunction with the talk and exhibition, the ICA will host a special edition of Art-Making After Dark, inviting visitors into Babirye’s process to create their own artwork.
The exhibition is accompanied by an important publication on Babirye’s work featuring a discussion between Babirye and Margaret Nagawa, the artist’s former professor, as well as a scholarly essay by Natasha Becker, who analyzes Babirye’s work in the context of African sculptural practices and contemporary art. Erickson and Gruber give focused attention to select sculptures in this richly illustrated book designed by Miko McGinty Inc.
Artist Bio
Leilah Babirye lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She studied art at Makerere University in Kampala (2007–2010) and participated in the Fire Island Artist Residency (2015). In 2018, Babirye was granted asylum in the US and presented her first solo show at Gordon Robichaux, New York. Her work has been exhibited internationally at venues including the de Young Museum, San Francisco; Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, UK; Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, São Paulo; and Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. Her work was included in Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, the 60th Biennale di Venezia. Babirye’s work is held in several prominent collections, including the de Young Museum, San Francisco; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College, Annandale-On-Hudson, New York; Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung, Vienna; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. She is the recipient of a 2026 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant.
About the ICA
Since its founding in 1936, the ICA has shared the pleasures of reflection, inspiration, imagination, and provocation that contemporary art offers with its audiences. A museum at the intersection of contemporary art and civic life, the ICA has advanced a bold vision for amplifying the artist’s voice and expanding the museum’s role as educator, incubator, and convener. Its exhibitions, performances, and educational programs provide access to the breadth and diversity of contemporary art, artists, and the creative process, inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the excitement of new art and ideas. The ICA is located at 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston, MA, 02210. The Watershed is located at 256 Marginal Street, East Boston, MA 02128. For more information, call 617-478-3100 or visit our website at icaboston.org. Follow the ICA on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Media Contact
Theresa Romualdez, press@icaboston.org
Credits
Leilah Babirye: Embaga ya Naki ne Naki (Wedding of Naki and Naki) is organized by Ruth Erickson, Barbara Lee Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, with Max Gruber, Curatorial Assistant.
Major support for the exhibition is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
Additional support is provided by Mathieu O. Gaulin.
The publication is supported by the Blue Rider Group at Morgan Stanley and the Fotene Demoulas Fund for Curatorial Research and Publications.
