Born in 1983 in Lusaka, David ‘Daut’ Makala attended Kabulonga Boys Secondary School. He is a self-taught artist and most of his artworks reflect is ongoing exploration of the abstract in nature. He took up art seriously in about 2006, after attending August Studio workshops organised by Mulenga Chafilwa for upcoming artists at the Visual Arts Council in Lusaka and also joined the Arts Academy Without Walls. He later joined Kachere Art Studios before leaving to join the Roots of Expression studio in Lusaka, where he is active as a freelance sculptor and painter. Between 2008 and 2010 he studied under seasoned artist Alix Nkazi, attending a two and a half year apprenticeship programme, and has also been mentored by painter Stary Mwaba. His surfaces combine acrylic paint applied in a staining technique, often enhanced with embedded objects. He has participated in various exhibitions in and around Lusaka. In 2013 he was a key player in the construction of a towering Christmas tree in Lusaka made of 9,000 discarded plastic bottles, alongside other artists. He has exhibited at a variety of venues in Lusaka and Livingstone.