It’s open
Exhibition Title: It’s Open
Exhibition Type: Travelling Public Art Exhibition & Community Showcase
Organising Institution: 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust
Project Partner/Context: Formed as a core component of the KLA ART 21 contemporary public art festival roadmap
Venue Timeline: Launched in Kampala, Uganda, before travelling to regional community spaces
Year: 2021
Medium: Conceptual Photography, Documentary Photography, and Public Spatial Installations
It’s Open is a 2021 travelling exhibition by 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust, curated within the KLA ART 21 framework to bypass traditional galleries and place contemporary visual art into public spaces. Launched during the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mobile, open-air project served as a resilient alternative to indoor restrictions, facilitating safe public engagement with photography that explores themes of access, neighborhood history, and urban space.
Featured Artworks
The collection functioned as an open-air laboratory exploring ideas of access, public space, and artistic sanctuary. A curated selection from the ongoing street and documentary photography series was integrated into the travelling showcase. The work juxtaposed everyday human traffic, neighborhood histories, and changing architectural landscapes with themes of institutional permeability—asking who has the right to occupy, view, and define creative environments in the city. By physically packing up and moving across different urban centers, the presentation sparked raw public engagement, bringing people from all backgrounds into direct contact with contemporary Ugandan storytelling.
Installation views
