Donald Wasswa’s Delicate Wooden Creatures Emerge from a Speculative Future

Donald Wasswa’s Delicate Wooden Creatures Emerge from a Speculative Future

Using the wood of silk trees, ebony, and embedded copper details, Donald Wasswa conjures bold forms evocative of imagined living beings. Based in Kampala, Uganda, Wasswa explores the relationships between—and evolution of—science, technology, society, and environmental transformation. Loosely resembling tentacled jellyfish yet somewhat unsettlingly dark and sharp, his sculptures evoke a distinctive tension between familiarity and the unknown; sentient creatures and the stuff of science fiction.

Through the process of manipulating materials, Wasswa considers the secret lives of familiar objects “and how they might in turn determine future humans,” says Circle Art Gallery, which represents the artist. If you plan to be in London this fall, see Wasswa’s works at contemporary African art fair 1-54, which runs from October 16 to 19.

a wooden sculpture by Donald Wasswa with an abstract, sea creature-like form with long tentacles
“Kayondo” (2025), Albizia, ebony, and copper, 40 x 26 x 28 centimeters
a wooden sculpture by Donald Wasswa with an abstract, sea creature-like form with long tentacles
Detail of “Kayondo”
a wooden sculpture by Donald Wasswa with an abstract, sea creature-like form with long tentacles
“Muganzi” (2025), Albizia, ebony, and copper, 40 x 34 x 20 centimeters
a wooden sculpture by Donald Wasswa with an abstract, sci-fi or sea creature-like form with short, black tentacles
“Muhangi” (2025), Albizia, ebony, and copper, 30 x 38 x 30 centimeters
a wooden sculpture by Donald Wasswa with an abstract, sea creature-like form with long tentacles
“Gyagenda” (2025), Albizia, ebony, and copper, 34 x 24 x 20 centimeters
a wooden sculpture by Donald Wasswa with an abstract, sea creature-like form with long tentacles
“Kyomuhendo” (2025), Albizia, ebony, and copper, 38 x 36 x 25 centimeters
a wooden sculpture by Donald Wasswa with an abstract, sea creature-like form with long tentacles
Alternate view of “Muganzi”

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