Desire Aine

Biography

Desire Aine is a Ugandan curator and cultural practitioner whose work explores the intersections of contemporary art, material culture, and community-engaged practice. She is currently a Curatorial Assistant at Njabala Foundation, a contemporary art foundation and exhibition platform based in Kampala, where she contributes to exhibition development, research, artist coordination, and public programming.

Her curatorial practice examines themes of care, labour, and sustainability, with a particular interest in the ways traditional knowledge systems and craft practices can be situated within contemporary art discourse. She has contributed to exhibitions including the Njabala Pop-Up Exhibition (2025), the Karibu Exhibition (2026), and the forthcoming Annual Njabala Exhibition (ANE) (2026), which further reflects her interest in relational and process-based approaches to exhibition-making.

Alongside her institutional practice, Aine conducts independent research and writing through SaAsi Society, exploring cultural production, labour, and non-extractive approaches within the arts ecosystem. Her work is informed by both curatorial and operational experience, enabling her to engage in the practical and conceptual dimensions of exhibition-making.

Through her practice, Aine is committed to developing contextually grounded, socially responsive curatorial approaches that contribute to the evolving landscape of contemporary art in Uganda.

Desire Aine, Curator at Njabala Foundation, Kampala, Uganda, has been awarded by the Saastamoinen Foundation (Helsinki, Finland).