Ina Maria Shikongo

Ina Maria Shikongo ((b.1979)) creates striking textile works that reflect her deep commitment to climate justice. Born in Angola as a refugee and raised in Namibia, her practice is shaped by a life of resilience, activism, and care for the planet. Her textile collages—often crafted as protest banners—are both art and advocacy, calling for a shift in humanity’s impact on the environment.

Having started her artistic journey in 2000, Ina’s focus on textile collage emerged from a deeply personal place, driven by a dedication to reusing materials after the loss of her aunt to gender-based violence. Her creative practice extends beyond the studio: as a climate justice organizer, educator, and movement builder, she works across local and international platforms including Fridays for Future Africa, Extinction Rebellion, and Debt for Climate.

Recent exhibitions include Unresolved Memories at Guns & Rain in Johannesburg (2025), Slow Burn: A Look at Contemporary Art in Stellenbosch, her solo show Echoes of Resistance at The Project Room in Windhoek (2024), FNB Art Joburg (2024) and the Africa Speaks show at Zee Gallery in Mauritius (2023). She received first prize in the Textile Art category at the Bank Windhoek Triennial in 2021. Her writing and activism have been featured internationally, including in The Climate Book edited by Greta Thunberg (Penguin, 2023). The artist also features in the documentary Temperature Rising, which tracks the climate justice work of Shikongo, Gabriel Klaasen, and Kumi Naidoo as they campaign against fossil fuel projects in Southern Africa. It focuses on grassroots activism and the fight for a just transition.

Ina’s art is a form of storytelling—interweaving fabric, memory, and resistance into a visual language that speaks for justice, regeneration, and hope.