Billie Zangewa was born to a South African mother and Malawian father. She was raised in Gaborone, Botswana and educated there, as well as in Malawi. Later Zangewa relocated to South Africa to complete her fine arts degree at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. Zangewa’s studies in printmaking allowed her to explore various techniques and materials, subsequently initiating her passion for working with rich surfaces and textiles, with a particular love for silk. Zangewa’s intimate universes enter the public realm through her original silk tapestries, each with their own coherent narrative and luminous aura. Her delicate cut silk collages and cotton embroidery are an open celebration of the powerful feminine subject.

Zangewa’s works have been included in recent international exhibitions at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany; La Maison Rouge in Paris, France; The Menil Collection in Texas, USA; Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam (SMBA) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and WIELS in Brussels, Belgium.