Born and raised in Madagascar, but with much of her youth spent in Paris, Malala Andrialavidrazana is a visual artist with an interest in what makes different cultures so similar and yet so radically divergent. Photography is her primary medium, but she also employs collage, drawing and text in her works. We were drawn to Malala’s ambitious series, “Figures,” which explored the historical tradition of map-making and its role in the imperialism and globalization of the 19th century. Where maps were once drawn up to signal one empire’s ownership over another land, Malala’s work – in which maps are colorfully laid out with memories, national symbols and artistic references – seeks to reframe the medium as something that can celebrate the global movement of culture. Malala’s works have been exhibited at Lagos Photo Festival, Karachi Biennial, MoMA Warsaw, The Art Institute of Chicago, Boghossian Foundation in Brussels, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and many more.
