The Artist
Mukiibi Najib Kharim is a multidisciplinary Ugandan artist—Painter, Industrial Designer, and Illustrator—born in Kampala in 2000. He graduated from Makerere University with a first-class Honors degree from the Margaret Trowel School of Industrial and Fine Art at the College of Engineering Design art and Technology, where he was recognized as one of the top students of 2023. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Design (Object and Industrial Design) at the HSE Art and Design School at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russian Federation. He is also a graduate of Innopraktika School (2023) and the St. Petersburg Academy of Classical Art named After I.E. Repin.
Mukiibi is proficient in surrealist, abstract, and semi-abstract easel painting, as well as editorial illustration, where he utilizes similar styles. His work frequently explores culture and human vulnerability, examining the intersection of traditional materials and modern design to convey humanism. He captures socio-cultural narratives in visual stories, crediting Godfrey Banadda—one of Uganda’s masters and a professor of Painting at Makerere University—as a source of inspiration. Mukiibi’s emotional, surreal, and abstract works always leave a lasting impression on viewers by sparking curiosity about the stories behind them. The artist has won numerous local and international Design and art competitions, earning acclaim for his philosophical and apocalyptic approaches.
The abandoned generation.
Surrealistic Painting by Mukiibi, Oil on Canvas, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, 2023
The artwork «The Abandoned Generation,» (100 cm x 100 cm) oil on canvas by Mukiibi Najib 2023, St. Petersburg, Russia
The artwork «The Abandoned Generation» by Mukiibi Najib (@mukiibi.najib.karim.art) was featured in an exhibition by Innopraktika School, organized in collaboration with the Academy of Arts named after A. Repin, during the Russia-Africa Summit in 2023.
«The artist was recognized by the Rector of St. Petersburg Art for his magnificent contemporary painting.»This surrealist artwork draws inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna and Child, specifically the concept of a mother lovingly nurturing her child. It contrasts this act of care with the contemporary trend of mothers focusing on their phones and neglecting their children. The piece depicts a woman holding her baby carelessly while engrossed in her phone. Furthermore, the artwork incorporates four planets symbolizing different generations. However, the foreground is cracked, representing the challenges future generations may encounter. The overarching message is that regardless of our skin color or background, we are all human. By uniting and upholding our global values, we can shape a better future for the next generation.«The artist was recognized by Semyon Ilyich Michailovsky, the Rector of the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Art, for his magnificent contemporary painting.»
Innopraktika School, Art Session 2023 St Petersburg Imperial Academy of Fine Art, Russia. Mukiibi Najib presents the long-anticipated description of the surrealist painting «The Abandoned Generation.»
Innopraktika School, Art Session 2023, St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, Russia.
The painting was exhibited at Innopraktika School, Art Session, in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The artwork «The Abandoned Generation» by Mukiibi Najib (@mukiibi.najib.karim.art) was presented at an exhibition organized by Innopraktika School in collaboration with the A. Repin Academy of Arts.
Russia-Africa Summit 2023, St. Petersburg.
«The Artist was commended by the Rector of St. Petersburg Art for the magnificent contemporary painting.»
Tap the Link to Art Session
The Voice Beneath the Well of Evil
surrealistic Painting by Mukiibi, Oil on Canvas, Moscow 2024
Artwork «Voice Beneath the Well of Evil.» Mukiibi Najib. (35.4 in x 23.6 in) Oil on Canvas. Moscow, Russia, 2025
THE VOICE BENEATH THE WELL OF EVIL Artist: Mukiibi Najib Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 90×60 cm
In this surrealistic painting, I employed three figures to represent the three continents—Europe, Africa, and Asia—struggling to save the world from the blazing well of evil. The figures are bound together by a creeping plant rooted to the dismantled pieces of land—a symbol suggesting that our shared values are the roots that unite us in preserving global human culture. The fading faces in the background symbolically represent the parental voices of guidance, which we are obligated to heed if we are to save ourselves from the evils brought about by modernity. The painting also features a blazing «well of evil, ” embedded with two spears—tools used by the devil against moral values, family, and marriage through homogenized relationships and related vices. This well of evil has engulfed the planet in irrational, inhuman practices and beliefs, posing risks to both present and future generations. However, hope resides in the voice beneath the well of evil.
The artwork was featured in the Poster competition and received a main prize in Moscow, Russia, in 2025. The poster was created for the «7 Principles of Humanitarian Action» art poster contest by the public organization «Red Cross» and was among the main Prize winners under the theme, Universality. In 2025, the inaugural «7 Principles in Humanitarian Work» art poster contest was held for students and young professionals in creative specialties. Participants from different regions of Russia and Belarus visualized seven fundamental principles. A professional jury, composed of representatives from humanitarian organizations, academia, religious institutions, and artists, participated in evaluating the works. The best works were awarded prizes and diplomas.
The certificate awarded for the main grand prize won by the Artist at an international competition organized by the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Moscow, Russian Federation.
MASESANE
The Unsung hero of Kigezi, Drawings by Mukiibi Najib
«The Portrait of Masesane», Charcoal on Ivory bond paper (84.1 cm x59.4 cm) by Mukiibi Najib 2022.
The portrait of Mr. Masesane is one of the most successful charcoal drawings created by the Artist at the beginning of his career in 2022. The artwork was part of a collection of three portraits commissioned by Mr. Birungi Masesane for the book he authored, MASESANE: «The Unsung Hero of Kigezi.» The Artist was recommended by Waddimba Edward, President of UVADA (Uganda Visual Artists and Designers Association) in East Africa, after the author had spent several months searching for an Artist suited to the work. The piece was used on the book’s cover, and Author Birungi Masesane credited Mukiibi Najib for reviving the actual image of his father despite the unclear references.
The book cover featuring the Portrait of Mr. Masesane. «MASESANE: The Unsung Hero of Kigezi"—the original cover and the proof copy provided to the illustrator by the author after the book’s publication.
The Portrait of Mrs. Masesane, Charcoal on Ivory bond paper 84.1 cm x 59.4 cm
The Portrait of Mrs. Masesane, Charcoal on Ivory bond paper 84.1 cm x 59.4 cm (Image from the book; the original images were lost) and Acknowledgement Page from the book
The Portrait of Mrs. Masesane is one of the charcoal drawings created by the artist following this particular commission. Unfortunately, the very week this drawing was completed was the week Mrs. Masesane, who had been bedridden for several years, passed away—a detail the author had warned the artist about. He had asked the artist to create the artwork with great enthusiasm so his mother could be present at the book launch; however, this was not possible since the book was published almost three months after her burial.Author’s Acknowledgment from Mukiibi Najib
Mr. Birungi Masesane highly appreciated the artist’s work, verbally and by nearly doubling the payment after the commission was finished. He went on to extend his gratitude to the artist by acknowledging his work on the visuals presented as illustrations in the book. In the first paragraph, he wrote, «I am grateful to Najib Mukiibi for the powerful illustrations of the portraits of the late Mr. and Mrs. Masesane, as well as mine, that appear in this book.»
Mr. Birungi Masesane, the author of Masesane: The Unsung Hero of Kigezi
The Child Soldier
The Child Soldier, Oil On Canvas, 120 cm x 88 cm, 2021 by Mukiibi Najib, Makerere University
The Child SoldierThe child soldiers were members of rebel groups abducted since 1987 to fill the ranks. Children and teenagers, both boys and girls, were forcibly taken from their homes through dubious and violent means. In captivity, the abducted individuals were subjected to harsh living conditions and sexual abuse. They all received military training, and older females were assigned partners who harassed them during their time in the bush.
The painting was created as part of a collection for the campaign against using children as victims of war and engaging them in combat following forceful abductions from their homes in African countries.
