Philip Balimunsi

Biography

Born into the family of Kabuye Benedict, Balimunsi Philip is the Curator of the Uganda National Cultural Centre and the Uganda National Gallery (Nommo Gallery). For over eleven years, he worked as an independent curator and artist, developing a sustained engagement with Ugandan art history and its relationship to contemporary practice. His curatorial approach emphasizes documentation and the creation of experiential spaces, enabling audiences to encounter exhibitions as layered reflections of memory, history, and evolving dialogue. Through art and culture, he fosters networks and collaborations that critically examine fragmented histories and their impact on the artistic consciousness of younger generations.

Balimunsi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial and Fine Arts from Makerere University and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Management at the same institution. He is an alumnus of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) 2023. His professional development includes curatorial training supported by a scholarship from Independent Curators International (ICI) in Addis Ababa, as well as participation in a curatorial programme at the School for Curatorial Studies, facilitated by A Plus Gallery during the 58th Venice Biennale.

His curatorial portfolio includes numerous contemporary exhibitions, including Apes of Uganda (2023), organized by the Uganda Museum in collaboration with the University of Michigan; Notes for Tomorrow (2020–2025), a travelling exhibition organized by ICI, New York, for which he served as co-curator; Facing Our Past: Rethinking Future Museums (2022), organized by the Uganda National Museum and the Goethe-Institut South Africa; and The Curious World of Humans (2023), Mukyala (2024), Echoes of Disorder (2025), and It’s Not Me, Just Expression (2025), all presented at Nommo Gallery.

Balimunsi has participated in high-level panel discussions alongside leading curators and art historians, including Zoé Whitley, curator of the 2019 British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, and Dr. Fiona Siegenthaler, among others.

Philip Balimunsi, Curator at The Uganda National Cultural Centre - Unganda National Gallery, Wakiso, Uganda, has been awarded by Mercedes Vilardell (Mallorca, Spain / London, UK).