Robert Ssempijja

Robert Ssempijja is a Ugandan contemporary artist, dancer, and researcher. He is building a career in both formal and informal settings. Ssempijja’s practice is shaped by both the post-colonial era and decolonization. Through his work in both traditional and non-traditional spaces, he demonstrates a commitment to challenging conventional norms and is open to embracing diverse perspectives.

Ssempijja’s work includes research projects that take the form of texts, dance films, installations, and performances. He aims to develop “a regenerative art practice” that moves beyond exploitative relationships, connecting the distorted past with the digital present. He is interested in experimenting with new methods of knowledge creation, exploring innovative ways to organize information and develop creative structures.

Ssempijja studied at the École des Sables in Dakar, Senegal, and collaborates with Company Christoph Winkler in Berlin. In 2022, he was awarded the Pina Bausch Fellowship for Dance and Choreography, participated in residencies at PACT Zollverein, and presented his own work at Sophiensaele Berlin. In 2023/2024, he was appointed the Cavendish Arts Science Fellow at Girton College, University of Cambridge. Additionally, he has worked as a researcher at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD museums) and Grips Theater Berlin. Currently, he is one of the choreographers in residence at K3 in Hamburg, where he is working on a project that explores the colonial architecture of his hometown, Kampala.