Joyous junkyard beauties: how Leilah Babirye fled death to create towering works of togetherness

The UK supreme court’s recent gender ruling made me think of the sublime sculptures – created from trash – by this artist who escaped persecution in Uganda. They stand for unity over divisionIn 2022, two wooden sculptures stood on the riverbanks of Brooklyn. Configured as bodies with multiple heads, the monumental works – part of a larger group titled Agali Awamu, which translates as “Togetherness” – towered over those who interacted with them. They appe