Gladys Melina Kalichini was born in Chingola (Copperbelt-Province) in Zambia. She is a working artist with a studio space at the Arts Academy Without Walls (AAWW) in the Showgrounds of Lusaka.

Gladys  began as a self-taught artist and much of what she has learnt  has come from her interaction with Zambian artists and exploration of population theories and demographic features of Zambia. She is particularly fascinated by topics of social imbalance in developing countries. The topic that is most vivid in her works is that of gender in a modern and cultural perspective.

She primarily works with acrylic paints on canvas and is intrigued by the textures and bold lines in compositions. In her creative process she finds it very interesting how one line leads to the next mark, as well as one drawing developing into some form, a being.

Other than producing her own work, Gladys has worked with children with an artist collaboration called “art4art” creating a large scale collage for the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) office in Lusaka as well as for the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) . The drawings incorporate sentences, letters, marks and words generated by the participating children. The entire student body was involved in the drawings which have raised significant funds for these institutions.

Gladys holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with a minor in Demography (Population Studies) from the University of Zambia (UNZA) and is currently working both as an analyst for a telecommunication company and as an artist in her studio.

In the past years she exhibited her works locally in Lusaka (National Museum (2010), Henry Tayali Gallery (2010 and 2012), the American Chamber of Commerce (2012) and the 37d Gallery (2013)),  as well as internationally in San Francisco (2013 - Online Exhibition - Emergent Artspace).

Please find a selection of her works (time-period 2009 - 2014) in our online gallery and her contact details on the right.