Malaika Temba is a Textile Artist currently based in New York. She has been moving her entire life: to Saudi Arabia, Uganda, South Africa, Morocco, then Maryland. Her lens and creative process are global, nourished by these experiences, and also influenced by art at the intersection of visuals and sound. In addition to her studio practice, Malaika has worked as Assistant Art Director and Print Designer at Pyer Moss, a Design Consultant at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Textiles Department at the Rhode Island School of Design. Malaika is originally from D.C. and Tanzania, and graduated with a BFA in Textiles from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2018.


Malaika has worked for contemporary artists including Jim Drain, Kenya (Robinson), and Anthony McCall. She has shown her work at Miami Art Week, the 2019 MET Gala, and on the runway at New York Fashion Week. She has been featured in exhibitions at venues such as Mindy Solomon Gallery in Miami (solo), Allouche Gallery in New York (group), and The Yard in New York (group), and features in public and private collections worldwide. She is the 2021 recipient of National YoungArts Foundation’s Jorge M. Pérez Award.