The Illumination Series is a body of portrait works exploring identity, memory, and visibility through the lived experience of vitiligo. Rooted in both personal reflection and cultural critique, the series confronts historical stigmas that have rendered altered skin invisible or marginalized—particularly within African contexts. Through stark tonal contrasts and psychologically charged compositions, Senkubuge reclaims light as a metaphor for presence, dignity, and transformation. Figures emerge from shadow not as subjects of concealment, but as agents of self-definition, their skin rendered as sites of beauty, resilience, and narrative depth. References to global icons and intimate, everyday individuals situate the work between the personal and the universal. The series ultimately asserts a quiet but resolute proposition: that difference is not absence, but illumination—and that to be seen is, in itself, an act of liberation.

8 works

By leveraging the power of visual art, this project amplifies the ‘Undo the Taboo’ campaign's message while shedding light on the experiences of those living with vitiligo. Together, we can contribute to a more inclusive, understanding, and compassionate society in Uganda and beyond. About Undo the Taboo’ campaign Through the ‘Undo the Taboo’ arts campaign, Reach A Hand Uganda, RAHU sought to promote the creative expression of young artists, inspire dialogue and action, and break down barriers. It was an opportunity for artists to contribute to a global movement for change and to recognize the unique contributions of young people in addressing the most pressing challenges of our time.

1 work

Temptations is a series of large-scale charcoal portraits exploring how identity is shaped through desire, belief, and the social forces that govern belonging. Each work presents the body as a psychological and cultural site where personal conflict meets collective memory. A defining element of the series is the integration of people-scapes—densely rendered communal scenes embedded within the portrait backgrounds. These layered narratives situate each subject within wider histories of faith, myth, and social expectation, expanding portraiture into a meditation on inheritance and human behavior. Using vitiligo as a conceptual language rather than subject, the series examines how difference is read onto the body and how identity is negotiated under cultural pressure. Rooted in Uganda and executed in charcoal, Temptations positions portraiture as both intimate encounter and social document.

3 works

In these works, Martin Senkubuge renders human presence with a quiet majesty, layering pattern, gesture, and light into images that feel both timeless and immediate. With sets of twins and individuals with vitiligo, each composition becomes a field of energy where intimacy and ceremony meet, inviting you to look beyond appearances and sense the living beauty that connects body and spirit. “I draw from the practices of Kerry James Marshall - who insists representation must be visible, dignified, inclusive and Titus Kaphar - who reveals what history has hidden, reshaped, and revised. I am keen to blur the line between what is seen and what is believed, to transform myth (that ‘abalongo babookya’ - ‘scorched by twins’) into pattern, into presence, and ultimately into truth. This makes the collection unique, powerful, and deeply relevant in this generation and many to come.”

6 works