Makila Nsika
About Makila Nsika
Award-winning designer and maker behind M.kala, Makila Nsika creates contemporary jewellery that bridges cultural memory, material innovation, and contemporary design. Her work balances the precision of emerging technologies with the organic fluidity of nature, resulting in sculptural pieces that feel both refined and elemental. Collaborating with artisans in Congo, she works to revive endangered making traditions while exploring unconventional organic materials, including the use of palm nut kernel as a sustainable alternative to endangered precious wood. Through an experimental and research-led approach, her work reimagines traditional techniques within a contemporary jewellery context, reflecting themes of transformation, identity, and sustainability.
Maker Enquiry Form
Material experimentation sits at the heart of Makila’s practice. Organic surfaces and engraved textures are developed through an intuitive process that values imperfection, tactility, and transformation. Influenced by Congolese visual language, domestic rituals, and inherited forms of making, the work explores the dialogue between past and present, local traditions and global contemporary culture. By translating these references into contemporary sculptural jewellery, each piece becomes a reflection of cultural continuity and change — carrying stories of resilience, transmission, and evolving identity.
Information on commissions
All Goldsmiths’ Fair exhibitors welcome commissions. Don’t hesitate to contact this maker and start a conversation about commissioning a piece, unique to you. Examples of commissioning include transforming or combining old jewellery into new pieces, incorporating stones into new settings, or simply working together to create a bespoke piece in the style of this maker.
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