This section brings together a selection of paintings from Sarah Muwanga’s recent practice. Each work explores the figure as a site of memory and presence, shaped through layered colour, texture, and atmosphere.
Luna (sold)
Oil on linen canvas
80 x 60 cm
She reclines in a pink armchair, her dress pooling in gold and white, her gaze turned away. Bold blocks of colour sit alongside her like collaged fragments, giving the quiet stillness of the room a layered, pieced-together feel.
Drift (sold)
Oil on canvas
30 x 40 cm
Layers of paint build a sense of being both outside and inside at once. The figure stares off into the distance, calm but not quite present.
Tender (sold)
Oil on canvas
30 x 40 cm
An old, romantic pattern gives the piece an interior feel, blending the figure into the background. A gold colour brings a sense of quiet, royal power.
Love letter (sold)
Oil on canvas
100 x 100 cm
Oil on cavas; rooted in tenderness, this piece centres the gentle act of hair braiding as an expression of care, trust and closeness. It is a celebration of enduring cultural tradition, shaped by the everyday rituals.
Grace (sold)
Oil on canvas
50 x 50 cm
The figure sits in quiet contemplation, eyes cast downward, hands resting with a stillness that feels chosen rather than passive. Muwanga builds the surrounding interior through loose, expressive brushwork. The shadows carry their own weight here, holding story and depth beneath the surface, while the bold outline holds the figure apart from it all, belonging entirely to herself.
My keeper (sold)
Oil on canvas
61 x 51 cm
Centred on sisterhood, ancestry and caregiving, this work holds tenderness alongside quiet unease. One figure rests while another remains upright, suggesting protection, inheritance and the unspoken responsibilities passed between generations. The role of “keeper” remains open, sitting somewhere between caregiver, the cared-for, and ancestral presence.
Commemorate (sold)
Oil on canvas
91 x 61 cm
This work reflects on selfhood, cultural memory and the act of remembrance. The figure stands strong yet distant, holding flowers that feel symbolic rather than decorative: an offering, a marker, and perhaps a quiet burden. There is strength here, but not certainty; the work holds the ache of honouring what has shaped you.
Grandma’s hands (sold)
Oil on canvas
60 x 60 cm
A child gently braids her elder’s hair, a quiet exchange of care and attention. Wiped- and scraped-back paint reveals textured layers beneath, suggesting memory, tradition, and knowledge passed between generations.
Sisters (Sold)
Oil on canvas
61 x 51 cm
This painting explores sisterhood, identity and quiet strength. Built up with many layers of paint, the textured background creates a sense of depth, memory and movement around the two figures.
Angie (sold)
Oil on canvas
60 x 60 cm
Angie presents resilience through surface and stillness. Built up and pulled back through scratching and abrasion, the worn texture mirrors endurance, where strength sits quietly inside the everyday.
In her bedroom (Sold)
Oil on canvas
76 x 52 cm
This painting continues the series’ focus on quiet presence within domestic space. Built through layers of paint that are stripped back and reworked, the highlights are drawn from colour beneath the surface. The raw exposure of the figure captures a private intensity, held in a space that is normally unseen.
Nomad (sold)
Oil and acrylic on canvas
150 x 120 cm
This piece captures a quiet moment of stillness. The figure is resting but not entirely at ease, slightly detached from her surroundings. The floral backdrop feels soft and almost dreamlike, but the outline holds her apart. It reflects that feeling of being present but slightly outside.
Her golden fingers through (sold)
Oil on canvas
80 x 60 cm
Illuminated by yellow oil pastel, this piece shows a process of healing and quiet rejuvenation. The layers and textures suggest a life of hardship and resilience; through this labour the figure comes into themselves and finds a sense of home within. The title references a poem by Robert Stevenson called Summer Sun.
Day Dreaming (sold)
Oil on Canvas
60 x 80 cm
This piece was built with bold blocks of colour, carved out then filled with orange oil pastel, so the edges glow like an afterimage, blurring what is inside the car and what is outside. Sarah wanted it to feel like that specific moment when your body is still, but your mind drifts elsewhere, carried by light, movement and passing streets.
Ignorant bliss (sold)
Acrylic on canvas
60 x 60 cm
Three older men sit together in a moment of quiet ease, embodying a sense of having seen and lived much. Their relaxed postures and shared presence suggest a gentle detachment from the world, choosing to simply exist in the moment rather than engage or explain.
Nomad, 2 (sold)
Acrylic on canvas
90 x 120 cm
Nomad, 2 - the second painting of a series exploring the feeling of not feeling at home when you’re at home. The surroundings done feel comfortable reflecting the figures headspace and the use of blue showcases the dissociative feelings she is feeling.