Artist Database

Nyakallo Maleke is an artist and writer based in Johannesburg. Her practice is grounded in an expanded concept of drawing, which she views as a means to tell stories about space, movement, and walking. Maleke’s drawings take shape through various media, techniques, and disciplines, and are manifested as installations, performances, sound pieces, prints, or sculptures. Her recent works are invested with materiality, often combining traditional drawing media with meticulous embroidery-like stitching and unconventional materials such as wax paper. She has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Wits University (2015) and has participated in group exhibitions at venues including Aichi Triennale (Japan), and Modzi Arts Gallery (Lusaka, Zambia).

Tracking (II) 2022, is an abstract work that explores a narrative about a personal and an imaginary, fictional space through mark making. The artwork applies techniques like repetition of line, colour and texture as a way to echo the meaning of its title. It is a drawing that explores an alternative approach of thinking about vulnerability, movement and migration through space, and through mark making. Using an embroidery-like technique, Tracking is a hand stitched drawing that is created with a subtle detail of chalk on craft paper.