Wamala Kyeyune Joseph was born and raised in Mutundwe, Rubaga division of Kampala, Uganda. He is the second of six children. After primary education taught by his mother, and a challenging period at secondary school, he attended Michelangelo College of Arts to pursue a Diploma in Art (2012-13) and then Kyambogo University in pursuit of a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Art and Design (2016-17).
“My interest in art was recognized when I was pre-primary school, and so my mother bought me an art textbook for me to teach myself how to really draw. I didn’t see any other book besides this for months. I remember drawing every single detail from within.”
“My compositions have always rotated around expressions in portraiture. For me, they speak a lot, and I doubt if we could understand human nature and emotion without first being able to read a face. Inspiration comes to me from my neighborhood and city, which have always moved me in many ways, but also from further afield. I occasionally work with words or other concepts, but portraits of humanity are my primary focus.”
He specializes in painting and sculpture, and with these majors Wamala has worked on a number of projects, exhibitions, residencies, and commissions, across Africa and Australia.