Leilah Babirye at the de Young

Leilah Babirye’s solo exhibition “We Have a History” is in its final days at the de Young museum in San Francisco, with museum listings showing the installation on view through May 26, 2026. The show is presented inside the de Young’s permanent collection galleries, according to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco ticketing pages, which list it alongside other current exhibitions. Mission Local included the exhibition in its May museum roundup and said it closes May 26. ### Who is Leilah Babirye? Leilah Babirye is a Ugandan-born artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, according to artist biographies published by Galerie Max Hetzler and Gordon Robichaux. Those biographies say Babirye was born in Kampala in 1985 and studied at Makerere University in Uganda. Galerie Max Hetzler says Babirye’s practice spans hand-carved wood, ceramics and discarded materials, and addresses identity, sexuality and queer activism. (missionlocal.org) Gordon Robichaux says she received asylum in the United States in 2018 with support from the African Services Committee and the NYC Anti-Violence Project. ### What is in “We Have a History”? “We Have a History” is Babirye’s first solo museum exhibition in the United States, according to the de Young exhibition page as reflected in secondary listings and gallery materials. (maxhetzler.com) The exhibition includes 12 sculptures, with several accounts saying three were shown for the first time in the de Young presentation. The works are installed in the de Young’s Arts of Africa galleries rather than in a separate temporary-exhibition hall, according to reviews and exhibition notices. Those accounts describe the sculptures as being shown alongside historical works from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s African art collection. ### What materials and subjects define the work? Babirye uses ceramic, carved wood, metal and found objects in sculptures that many exhibition texts describe as portraits of her LGBTQ+ community. (maxhetzler.com) Galerie Max Hetzler says she incorporates discarded materials in a multidisciplinary practice, while a de Young-related exhibition notice says the work speaks to reclaiming identity and creating community. (meer.com) Apollo magazine and other profiles say Babirye has connected her use of discarded materials to the Luganda slur “abasiyazi,” which means sugarcane husk. In those accounts, the reuse of cast-off material becomes part of the work’s stated engagement with exclusion, naming and survival. ### Why is the de Young presentation notable? (maxhetzler.com) The de Young has framed the exhibition as part of its Contemporary African Art program, according to the exhibition description reproduced by gallery and arts-publication listings. Those descriptions say the show links past and present by placing Babirye’s contemporary sculptures in dialogue with historical African art. (maxhetzler.com) The museum’s current ticketing pages show “Leilah Babirye: We Have a History” included with general admission rather than sold as a separate special-exhibition ticket. The de Young’s admissions page also says Bay Area residents receive free general admission on Saturdays. ### If you want to see it this weekend, what should you know? The de Young is located at 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive in Golden Gate Park, according to the museum’s ticketing page. (maxhetzler.com) As of Friday, May 22, the museum’s booking calendar showed visits available through Tuesday, May 26, the listed closing date for the Babirye exhibition. Mission Local’s May 2026 museum notes list the exhibition among shows closing soon in San Francisco. (tickets.famsf.org) The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco ticketing site says Saturday admission for residents of the nine Bay Area counties is free, while general admission includes access to the permanent collection galleries where the Babirye show is installed. (ticketing.famsf.org) May 26, 2026, is the published end date for “We Have a History,” according to Mission Local and exhibition listings tied to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The de Young’s ticketing calendar also shows weekend and Tuesday booking options at its Golden Gate Park campus. (missionlocal.org)