kyle malanda (b. 1994) is a Malaŵian visual artist whose work explores identity at the intersections of sexuality, indigenous spirituality, and mortality. Her struggle with identity manifests through depictions of Black faceless feminine figures, depersonalising and anonymising her subjects. Using motifs rooted in Ngonde ontology and the realm of lucid dreams, kyle’s photographic and textile works are an invitation into her surrealist world, where truth stretches beyond what the eyes can see.

Her work has been exhibited in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, the US, and the UK. She has participated in artist residencies in Kenya, South Africa, and Mozambique. In 2020, she co-founded RETROSPECT— Africa’s first annual retrospective exhibition exclusively for queer African artists.

kyle lives and works between Lilongwe and Northern California.

Pronouns: she/they

Email: kyle.malanda@gmail.com
Twitter: @kylemalanda
Instagram: @kylemalanda