Dr Lilian Mary Nabulime is a sculptor and senior lecturer at Makerere University in Uganda. She often uses wood and found materials to produce figurative forms and functional everyday objects that retain the qualities of the materials. She has a keen interest in ways in which materials can inform certain ideas for viewers, such as familiarity in daily life or assumptions of accessibility, thereby encouraging discussions.

Lilian’s work explores various aspects of social life, including intersecting experiences in politics and of gender, race and disease. It responds to the context in which it is made – modern Africa. Gendered associations with femininity and masculinity are made in the formal qualities of her works, such as Male and Female (2004) in which she used soap, with its associations as a cleansing agent, to raise questions about sexuality and HIV/Aids. She has also explored issues related to COVID-19, schistosomiasis and gossip.

In addition to having established the LM Nabulime Foundation that provides gallery space for art residencies and workshops, she attained her PhD in Fine Art from Newcastle University in 2017. Her work has been exhibited internationally.