She was nominated for her photography project: “Stranger in Familiar Land”
Sarah Waiswa, image from the 'Stranger in Familiar Land' series, Kibera, 2016. Courtesy of the artist
Ugandan-born, Nairobi-based photographer Sarah Waiswa recently won the Rencontres d’Arles 2016 Discovery Award for her photography project: “Stranger in Familiar Land” that looks at the persecution of albinos in Sub-Saharan Africa.
„This project groups together various portraits of an albino woman set against the backdrop of the Kibera slums, which are a metaphor for my turbulent vision of the outside orld. The series illustrates the life of an albino who is forced to face challenges emanating from both the sun and society. The series also explores how the sense of non-belonging has led her to wander and exist in a dreamlike state.“ Waiswa says in her project statement.
Supported by the LUMA Foundation since 2002, theDiscovery Award is the Rencontres d’Arles’ top prize. The idea is that five preeminent figures from the art world each nominate two artists. Sarah Waiswa was nominated by Ethiopian photographer , contemporary artist and founder of Addis Foto Fest, Aida Muluneh.
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