5 Art Curators from Zimbabwe You Should Know.

by Editor

Behind every successful exhibition lies the vision, curation, and meticulous planning of talented individuals who bring art to life. Zimbabwe's cohort of exceptional art curators is making significant contributions to the artistic and cultural landscape. From showcasing emerging talent to curating groundbreaking exhibitions, these curators play a crucial role in shaping the narrative of contemporary Zimbabwean art on both local and international platforms.

Here are five important art curators from Zimbabwe you should know:

1. Tandazani Dhlakama

Tandazani Dhlakama is one of Zimbabwe's well respected curator. A Beit Scholar alumni, she holds an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies from the University of Leeds in the UK and a BA in Fine Art and Political Science, Magna Cum Laude from St. Lawrence University in the US. She joined the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa at its inception in 2017 where she is currently the museum curator. She has curated impressive exhibitions such as Witness: Afro Perspectives from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection at El Espacio 23 (2020), Five Bhobh: Painting at the End of an Era (2018) and co-curated When We See Us (2023) which is currently showing at Kunstmuseum in Basel after being shown at Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town. Before joining Zeitz MOCAA, Dhlakama worked at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare where she held various roles between 2011 and 2017. During her tenure, at the NGZ, she was the conference coordinator for the 2nd International Conference on African Cultures (ICAC 2017) which took place in Harare. At the NGZ, Dhlakama was involved in curating several exhibitions including, Engaging with “the Other” (2013), Women at the Top (2014), ZimbabweIN Design (2014 and 2017), Dis(colour)ed Margins (2017) among other exhibitions.

2. Clifford Zulu

Clifford Zulu is the curator of the Bulawayo Art Fair, which is set to launch in September 2024 and runs alongside the Sanganai/ Hlanganani Tourism Expo, which will be held at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Center in Bulawayo. He is also the director of the Centre for Contemporary Arts Bulawayo, an independent project space that provides the art community of Bulawayo with exhibition space. The space was developed to identify, support and promote modern art practices in Bulawayo. Previously he served as the Assistant Curator, for the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo Gallery.

3. Mike Tigere Mavura

Mike Mavura is a curator and cultural producer and spearheads Pamurove Foundation, a project space that activates critical dialogue between contemporary arts, ecological practices and local traditions of self-sufficiency and farming in Murewa, Zimbabwe. Mavura's whose work combines indigenous knowledges, social science research methods and art practices to think through civics, spaces and design. He was part of the curatorial team for artHARARE in 2021 and the Stellenbosch Triennale in 2020 in South Africa. In 2019, he curated the Collector’s Focus exhibition “Vedanā: Experiences of Tonality” at the Norval Foundation. He previously directed the Creative Exchange educational project at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography which teaches design students beyond the classroom using cities as design laboratories. The creative exchange projects have taken place in Harare, Zimbabwe, Maputo, Mozambique and Durban, South Africa.

4. Fadzai Veronica Muchemwa

Fadzai Muchemwa is a curator, writer and researcher. In 2022 she was appointed curator of contemporary art at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. Muchemwa formerly served as curator for education and public programming at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe from 2017 to 2020, and assistant curator from 2016 to 2017, where she co-curated Moulding a Nation: The History of the Ceramics Collection of National Gallery of Zimbabwe (2018 to 2019), Dis(colour)ed Margins (2017), Culture in Communities (2016), and Jazzified: Expressions of Protest (2016). Muchemwa was a researcher with the Arts of Africa and Global South programme in the fine arts department at Rhodes University in South Africa. Recently, she has curated the Zimbabwean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2022 and recently in 2024

5. Raphael Chikukwa

Raphael Chikukwa is a seasoned curator who worked mainly as an independent curator for over ten years before joining the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. He is currently the Chief Curator and Director of the institution. Chikukwa is also curator at large for Painting and Sculture at the Zeitz MOCAA museum in Cape Town, South Africa. He is the founding curator for the Zimbabwe Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale 2011, Zimbabwe's first participation at the prestigious event. He has also curated other edition of the Zimbabwe Pavilion in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. Chikukwa has also contributed in a number of publications that includes Mowonero: Insights in Zimbabwean Contemporary Art, Zimbabwe Pavilion Catalogues (Seeing Ourselves 2011, Dudziro 2013, Pixels of Ubuntu/Unhu 2015, Deconstructing Boundaries 2017 and Soko Risina Musoro – A Tale Without. Head 2019) Kaboo Ka Muwala: Migration and Mobility Exhibition 2016.

Tandazani Dhlakama, Clifford Zulu, Mike Tigere Mavura, Fadzai Veronica Muchemwa, and Raphael Chikukwa are exemplary figures in the Zimbabwean art community, whose dedication to curatorial excellence and artistic innovation is shaping the future of Zimbabwean art. From their visions, expertise, and tireless advocacy, they are creating opportunities for artists to thrive, and audiences to engage.