Leilah Babirye presents a new body of work at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, centered on the concept of a queer wedding. The exhibition features sculptural figures made from discarded materials such as chains, bicycle gears, rubber tires, and salvaged debris, combined with carved wood and ceramics. These figures—brides, grooms, attendants, and guardians—form a ceremonial landscape that celebrates LGBTQ+ lives and chosen community. Babirye, who fled Uganda after being outed as gay, transforms these materials into regal, intimate, and defiant portraits that evoke both celebration and protection.
This exhibition matters because it continues Babirye's powerful exploration of identity, resilience, and survival through a sculptural language rooted in transformation and joy. By centering queer love and ritual as acts of resistance, the work challenges societal norms and underscores the importance of community as something actively built and defended. The show at ICA Boston, on view until January 2027, brings international attention to an artist whose practice addresses urgent themes of belonging and visibility within the global art world.