xolelwa malinga

Xolelwa Malinga is currently working on an ongoing collection that continues her exploration of identity, memory, and the evolving narratives of African womanhood. Through this new body of work, she experiments with form, texture, and symbolism to expand on themes first introduced in her earlier pieces, while allowing space for new stories to emerge naturally over time. The collection remains in progress — a living, growing reflection of her artistic journey.

Sikhona is a group exhibition curated by Xolelwa Malinga as part of the Culture Spaces Context programme by the Antidote Culture Foundation. As a recipient of the programme’s micro seed funding and arts management training, Malinga developed the project alongside fellow artist and co curator Phetsemajali Shongwe. Presented at the Eswatini Theatre Club, the exhibition brought together five women artists from Eswatini, creating greater visibility for visual artists and highlighting the diversity of visual art practices within the country.

The exhibition explored identity, memory, womanhood and becoming, reflecting on the experiences, teachings, traditions and relationships that shape women across generations. The title Sikhona, meaning “we are here,” speaks to both presence and continuity. The exhibition recognised the artists not only through their individual journeys, but through the histories, relationships and generations that continue to shape their lives and creative practices.

As part of the project, Malinga donated an artwork to the Eswatini Theatre Club as a gesture of appreciation for its continued contribution to the arts and its role in creating space for visual artists to exhibit, gather and connect.

Photographer: Sizo Hlophe

The Colour Of Her was Xolelwa Malinga’s first collection of works and marked the beginning of her artistic journey. It played a key role in her first solo exhibition at Alliance Française Eswatini in 2024 and was the first style she experimented with.

The collection was inspired by Malinga’s desire to celebrate the unapologetic freedom and confidence of Black women. Growing up, she often saw Black women depicted through limiting and stereotypical lenses, and she wanted to create a space where their narratives are empowering and authentic. Each woman featured in the collection was a Swazi muse, chosen for her unique figure and presence — together reflecting the diverse forms of beauty and strength that define womanhood.

That exhibition centered on the idea that Black women are not defined by others’ perceptions, but by their own sense of agency and self-love.

The Colour Of Her speaks directly to Malinga’s broader mission as an artist — to challenge societal norms, reclaim narratives, and provide a platform for underrepresented voices, particularly those of women of color. The exhibition stands as a visual declaration that Black women’s beauty and strength deserve to be celebrated on their own terms, without apology.

As part of the African Female Artist Mentorship Program, Malinga spent three months researching and developing a new body of work under the mentorship of Mr Chika Edu, alongside a cohort of twelve emerging female artists from across Africa.

Her resulting body of work restores presence to African women, particularly those from Southern Africa whose voices and contributions have been overlooked or marginalised by history. Through portraiture, Malinga honours Regina Twala, Sarah Mkhonza, Queen Labotsibeni, an unnamed Swazi maiden, and Qinisile, her mother in her youth. Rendered with quiet regality, these figures resist erasure while bringing overlooked histories into the present.

The body of work was presented as part of In Translation, a group exhibition curated by Adaobi Onyejike-Ananaba and hosted by The Kokopelli Gallery in partnership with the African Female Artist Mentorship Program, managed by the Girl Child Art Foundation. Emerging from an intensive three-month mentorship, In Translation explored translation beyond language, considering how memory can be rendered through material, grief through colour, and inherited histories through forms that speak to the present.

For enquiries, contact Kokopelli Gallery: gallery@kokopelliafrica.com