(Cape Town, 15 February 2022): Zeitz MOCAA is eager to bring artists and art aficionados the best of contemporary art – opening up a space for conversations, debates and storytelling. Earlier this year, the museum announced the opening of its long-anticipated Tracey Rose retrospective titled Shooting Down Babylon, proudly supported by Ammodo, an organisation that initiates, supports and develops ground-breaking art and science projects. The opening includes a public event limited to 200 FREE tickets, with special performances taking place at regular intervals.
“Very few artists have the genius and thematic agility that South African-born Tracey Rose has. She is able to probe pertinent issues in ways that are sometimes satirical, paradoxical and multifarious all at the same time,” says Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director and Chief Curator at Zeitz MOCAA. “Her profound visual lexicon, whose complexities reflect our current time, will be highlighted at Zeitz MOCAA across three floors in an exhibition that celebrates her contribution to the canons in art.”
A few days ahead of the opening of Rose’s show, the museum also welcomes a large-scale, inflatable sculpture installation by South African artist Goldendean. Titled Soft Vxnxs, visitors are encouraged to touch or embrace the work. By doing so, the artist asks visitors to question who or what is entitled to take up space, addressing the personal and political of hypervisibility: being visible (as a fat, queer, white, trans body) and invisible and unimportant at the same time (as a fat, queer, white, trans body).
“We cannot have hoped for a better time to unveil these artists’ works, which are pertinent to promoting narratives that are important to the building of communities,” adds Kouoh.
Soft Vxnxs by Goldendean opens on Tuesday, 15 February in the Zeitz MOCAA Atrium and Shooting Down Babylon by Tracey Rose opens on Friday, 18 February 2022 on Levels 0, 2 and 3 of Zeitz MOCAA. Due to the graphic content of the latter exhibition, which some viewers may find disturbing, viewer discretion is advised. Shooting Down Babylon is not recommended for persons younger than 16.
FREE tickets to the public opening of Shooting Down Babylon can be booked here. Tickets to Zeitz MOCAA can be purchased here for R210 pp or enter free with museum membership at R290 pp for one year. Zeitz MOCAA’s curatorial and exhibition programming is proudly supported by GUCCI.
//ends
Issued by Chimera Creative on behalf of Zeitz MOCAA.
Please find further media materials for Shooting Down Babylon, including the artist’s full biography, here and for Soft Vxnxs here. For media enquiries, contact Zainab Slemang van Rijmenant at zainab@chimeracreative.co.za.
About Zeitz MOCAA
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is a public not-for-profit institution that collects, preserves, researches and exhibits contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora; conceives and hosts international exhibitions; develops supporting educational, discursive and enrichment programmes; encourages intercultural understanding; and strives towards access for all. The museum’s galleries feature rotating temporary exhibitions with a dedicated space for the permanent collection. The institution also includes the Centre for Art Education, the Centre for the Moving Image and The Atelier, a museum residency programme for artists living and working in Cape Town.
Zeitz MOCAA is situated at the Silo District, South Arm Road, V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa, and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm. zeitzmocaa.museum