Founded in 2011 32 degrees East in an independent non-profit organisation and home for the visual arts community in Uganda. To date they have hosted over 100 artists-in-residence, provided emergency relief to artists during the Covid-19 crisis, and held 4 editions of Kampala’s longest-running public art festival KLA ART bringing contemporary art to over 10,000 people.
Through their work they aim to shift how art is seen and made, and to amplify the transformative power of art. Situated in Kabalagala, Kampala they are a refuge for under-resourced emerging artists, connecting them to opportunities for international collaboration, exchange, and community.
With minimal local infrastructure for the arts, practising artists can feel isolated and undervalued. Through our relationships in networks such as Arts Collaboratory and Triangle Network and the Prince Claus Fund, we facilitate exchanges that make it possible for Ugandan artists to see how artists from other geographies work in different contexts, and help artists build invaluable networks across borders and create deep connections. Our Open Studios and KLA ART festival provides the Ugandan public with access to imaginative and bold art that can inspire and drive long-term exploration of the issues that shape our lives.
The New Art Centre
As they state: 32° East is a home for creation, experimentation and critical thinking through contemporary art. Since 2011, we’ve expanded possibilities for art making in Uganda through our residencies, resource centre and public programming.
In October 2021 after a long journey of fundraising, plot searching, design changing and more, we broke ground on the first ever purpose built art centre in Kampala. We split the design and construction of the centre into two phases, to make the most of the funding that we have been able to raise thus far.
The innovative ecological design by New Makers Bureau and constructed by Localworks Uganda has since been featured in Andariya, Architecture Today, Archello, Architecture Journal, Daily Monitor, Detail, Dezeen, DesignBoom, Domus, Selamta, Stir World, Wallpaper, and in 2023 was awarded Culture Project of the Year by Dezeen Awards.
Former grantee
