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XOLELWA MALINGA

XOLELWA MALINGA (b. 2001) is a multidisciplinary artist from Eswatini. Her practice centers on the Black female form as a site of emotional and cultural storytelling.

Working across acrylic, oil, and mixed media, she explores how posture, gesture and presence can express complex inner states, transforming the body into both subject and language. Rather than presenting the figure as an object to be viewed, she repositions it as a symbolic form, one that carries memory, tension and meaning beyond the visible.

From 2019 to 2022 she studied towards and obtained a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design at the Eastern Mediterranean University in  Cyprus.

In 2024 she presented her work in Dubai as part of Art Connects Women, selected among 108 artists globally. The same year, she held her first solo exhibition at Alliance Française de Mbabane and exhibited during Miami Art Week alongside other African female artists. Her work has also been featured at the RMB Latitudes Art Fair in Johannesburg. In 2025 she was named a winner of the WORLDART10 competition. She is a mentee in the African Female Artist Mentorship Program 2025 to 2026 cohort.