Matt Kayem is a Kampala-based visual artist and writer whose multidisciplinary practice — spanning painting, sculpture, installation, performance, graffiti, and photography — explores identity, African history, decolonisation, Black consciousness, and pop culture.
A graduate of the Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Arts at Makerere University, he brings a critical, experimental approach to contemporary African art. Kayem has exhibited at the Kampala Biennale, Modzi Arts (Zambia), Kunsthal KAdE (Netherlands), AKKA Project (Venice), and the African Artists Foundation (Lagos). He has participated in residencies at 32° East and Modzi Arts, as well as a 2024 residency at KNUST with the blaxTarlines collective.
An active art critic, Kayem has written for Start Journal, Contemporary and, The Independent, and psp-culture.com. His book Soul Art, developed during the Vivid Synergies residency, blends text and imagery to expand contemporary African discourse.