Connections

Malaika Beshah’s Portrait of Change

The story of Connections didn’t begin with a single spark. It emerged slowly, like pieces of a puzzle coming together fragments of thought, emotion, and memory. When Malaika Beshah first shared her work with us, it felt like an open-ended question: Where do we belong? What ties us together? What do we carry forward?

Malaika’s exhibition was both intimate and expansive a reflection on identity, movement, and the quiet transformations that shape us. Born in Germany and now based in Ethiopia, she works at the intersection of cultures and timelines. Her pieces capture the tension of arrival and return, the weight of memory, and the search for coherence in a fragmented world.

 Each artwork is physically and emotionally layered made from hundreds of interlocked puzzle pieces. Some are bold, others faded, some buried under paint. Each piece matters. Each contributes to a larger story that only makes sense when viewed as a whole.

Malaika’s connection to puzzles began as a quiet childhood ritual, shared with family. Over time, this became her visual language. In Connections, the puzzle is no longer just a pastime — it’s a map. A record of change. A metaphor for the complexity of belonging.

 Opening day was filled with a deep hush. Visitors slowed their steps, drawn into the tactile seams and quiet weight of each canvas. Some stood in silence, others shared stories of migration, memory, and finding home in unexpected places.

 What lingered most was the tenderness. Malaika doesn’t offer conclusions; she offers space to reflect, to remember, to feel. Her work reminds us that even when life feels disjointed, there is form. There is meaning. Even the smallest piece holds value.

We’re grateful to Afro Coffee for supporting Connections and helping us continue our mission to spotlight creatives. This exhibition in studio 11 is a powerful offering one that speaks directly to our times.