Kampala Road Unveiled
Exhibition Title: Kampala Road Unveiled: A Visual Odyssey Through Time
Alternate Title Context: “Metamorphosis”
Exhibition Type: Pan-African Group Exhibition, Mentorship Program & Public Space Installation
Hosting Partners: Market Photoworkshop in partnership with the Centre on African Public Spaces (CAPS) and the University of Johannesburg
Digital Platform Partner: PhotoForm Africa
Project Context: Developed as part of the URBAN SPACES and PUBLIC LIFE project residency
Venue: Joubert Park, Central Johannesburg, South Africa
Dates: July 24th – August 19th, 2024
Geographic Focus: Kampala Road, Kampala, Uganda (Spanning six decades of architectural transition)
Medium: Contemporary Documentary Photography, Archival Preservation, and Large-Format Outdoor Diptychs
Kampala Road Unveiled: A Visual Odyssey Through Time is an immersive, research-driven visual chronicle that traces the dramatic physical and social transformation of Uganda’s most famous urban corridor over a sixty-year timeline. Developed under the umbrella of the URBAN SPACES and PUBLIC LIFE initiative, this project was produced through a major collaborative partnership between the Market Photo Workshop, the Centre on African Public Spaces, and the University of Johannesburg.
This iteration of the project was born out of an intensive, cross-continental mentorship program that brought together a select cohort of photographers and visual researchers from across Africa. Operating as a collaborative incubator, the program challenged practitioners to map the unique sociospatial realities of their respective home cities, ranging from Kampala and Johannesburg to other major African urban hubs. By analyzing shared themes of post-colonial spatial politics, privatization, and public life, guided by industry mentors and academic experts, the residency culminated in an expansive group exhibition.
Featured artworks:
From July 24th to August 19th, 2024, the collective works were planted directly into the public sphere as a large-scale outdoor installation inside Joubert Park, located in the dense urban core of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The exhibition layout relied heavily on pairs of carefully curated photographic diptychs. By tracking down mid-20th-century archival photographs of Kampala Road and precisely pairing them with contemporary, modern-day shots of the exact same geographical positions, the outdoor panels functioned as a portal through time.
Staging these diverse African urban narratives side-by-side inside Joubert Park allowed the works to cross-pollinate, prompting deep dialogue on how contemporary African photography can collectively archive regional transitions, critique changes in city infrastructure, and reclaim civic space.
Installation views:
