Rugiyatou Ylva Jallow

Rugiyatou Ylva Jallow is a Swedish Gambian painter based in Los Angeles. Raised in Sweden within a Gambian household, she works between cultures bringing questions of belonging, kinship, and self-possession into focus. Jallow paints in acrylic and oil, laying wax-dipped threads on the surface as “ancestral lines.” These raised routes link figure and ground, charting lineage and memory. Hands recur as open, pointing, or shielding forms, evoking protection and agency while also referencing forebears. Her color palette is vivid and precise, attuned to the nuances of Black, white, and mixed skin.  

Family forms the foundation of her practice. She credits early encouragement from her Swedish mother and grandmother, while also drawing on West African values imparted by her father and stepmother. Across the work, layered paint and relief lines build presence without fixing a single narrative. Identity appears as lived and layered, grounded in personal history and open to connection across cultures.  

In 2023, Jallow completed a residency at the Mack Art Foundation, New York, NY. Solo exhibitions include NeueHouse, Venice, CA (2025); albertz benda, New York, NY (2023); F2T Gallery, Milan, IT (2023); and The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY (2022, 2021). Her work has been featured in Vogue Scandinavia, Artnet, and REVOLT Magazine. She has completed various public projects in Los Angeles, and her works are held in prominent collections worldwide. Her art has been featured in notable publications, including Galerie, Artnet, Observer, and Vogue.