Acaye Kerunen Weaves Communities Together

Acaye Kerunen’s large sculptural works seem to have their own heartbeats. In ‘Neena, aan uthii’ (See Me, I Am Here), pieces made from woven, organic materials hang from the ceiling, gently drifting or rotating to the rhythm of visitors’ movements. Others are wall-based, formed from fluid lines that undulate and protrude forwards, casting animated shadows. Several fixed, self-contained sculptures sit upon plinths. Kerunen’s lines are expressive and intricate, informed by mathematical patterns and processes but retaining a shaggy, playful appearance. Each work features strong symbolic elements, which challenge and subvert gendered and colonial power dynamics in the artist’s Ugandan homeland.

Created collaboratively with artisans from across the country – the majority of whom are women –  these works constitute natural resources, sourced in harmony with local ecosystems, which have been dyed and handwoven. Kerunen’s mediative and labour-intensive process uses materials such as banana fibres, raffia, sisal and reeds. Women’s creative expression across East Africa and the Great Lakes region has traditionally been viewed as craft; here, Kerunen uses techniques passed down through generations – including ones she learned from her mother – to create commanding artworks. 

Karibiire (Uniting, 2024) is an energetic work, dancing between jet-black mutuba bark cloth and light raffia. The wall-based piece is formed from a large swathe of mud-dyed fabric which fills the frame loosely, with sections gathered and raised through hoops or embellished with sculpted paper beads. Exploring the idea of unity, the work’s lively shapes jostle against one another, yet ultimately find a balance when viewed as a whole. This suggests a metaphoric reading: Karibiire reflects a place of healthy compromise, highlighting the importance of community over ego. 

While many of the works in the show demonstrate universal concepts, some are directed by personal relationships. Kiki (2024) – a large, wall-hung weaving – is dedicated to one of the artist’s regular collaborators, Gakire Katese Odile (Kiki), who founded the Rwandan women’s drumming group Ingoma Nshya (A New Drum) in response to the country’s historic prohibition of women drumming. The work comprises a giant circle made from thick loops of black, white and orange, evoking both the throbbing beat of a drum and its physical shape. This is adorned with a hat, a large black and brown woven fan and a mass of bushy threads that project from the surface. It is a joyful piece that channels the spirited empowerment of the group, in keeping with Kerunen’s characteristically hopeful expressions of cultural protest. 

Hanging from the ceiling, Ebiinu (She Has Come, Has She Come? Is She Coming?) (2023) has the rough form of a body. It is simultaneously open and armourlike, with gaps that provide views straight through contrasted with dense layers of natural materials including woven palm leaves and raffia. The piece brings together conflicting aspects of womanhood, which may find expression in sensuality or vengeance. Nearby, Pok Lengu (Husks of Beauty, 2024) is similarly bodily – to me, it called to mind a torso with protectively curved shoulders – and evokes the parts of our personalities and physical forms that we try to shed or change. The work’s title refers to discarded elements that are still beautiful and part of us. 

Equilibrium and togetherness are threaded throughout the exhibition. The environment is shown richly entangled with the lives of women, their care or destruction reflective of their experiences within a colonial framework that plunders resources both earthly and emotional. The tender love that is shown to these natural materials as they are stripped, dyed and prepared by groups of women encourages a shared opportunity for healing. Within the potentially clinical space of the gallery, these jubilant works retain the dynamic, community-driven vitality of their making.

Acaye Kerunen’s ‘Neena, aan uthii’ is on view at Pace Gallery, London, until 22 February 

^{Main image: Acaye Kerunen, Yoo Unen (The Path has Revealed Itself) (detail), 2024, obuso (raffia), mutuba (barkcloth), ensansa (palm leaves), 200 × 289 × 22 cm. Courtesy: © Acaye Kerunen and Pace Gallery; photograph: Damian Griffiths}