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(Cape Town, Thursday, 4 April 2024) Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) presents another iteration of its Permanent Collection, Selections from the Collection, which opens on level 2 of the museum on Thursday, 4 April 2024 and will run until 4 April 2027. Our collection is thoroughly contemporary and addresses several relevant discourses in Africa and the world today, like migration, human rights, visibility, memory, and desire. Notably, it includes works by some of the most celebrated artists working in the world today. We also hold comprehensive bodies of work from singular artists like Nandipha Mntambo, Zanele Muholi and Kudzanai Chiurai, amongst others. 

Featured Artists:

• Joël Andrianomearisoa
• Kudzanai Chiurai
• Salah Elmur
• Frances Goodman
• Tayie Idahor
• Isaac Julien
• Glenn Ligon
• Thebetsile Magugu
• Michele Mathison
• Misheck Masamvu
• Nandipha Mntambo
• Daniella Mooney
• Zanele Muholi
• Ebony G. Patterson
• Jody Paulsen
• Thania Petersen
• Athi-Patra Ruga
• Brett Charles Seiler
• Banele Khoza
  
  

The Zeitz MOCAA Permanent Collection was established in 2015 and is focused on contemporary artistic practices from Africa and its global diaspora. It consists of over 500 objects, ranging from works on paper and canvas, photographic prints, sculptures, video works, installations and more. Featuring artists from multiple countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Madagascar, the United States, Kenya, and Sudan, the collection is a rich testament to the diversity of contemporary practices from the continent and beyond.

A large part of the collection consists of a recent donation of artworks which were formerly on a long-term loan from art collector, and co-founder of the museum, Jochen Zeitz. Other works have been gifted to the museum by artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts.

Our collection is thoroughly contemporary and addresses several relevant discourses in Africa and the world today, like migration, human rights, visibility, memory, and desire. Notably, it includes works by some of the most celebrated artists working in the world today. We also hold comprehensive bodies of work from singular artists like Nandipha Mntambo, Zanele Muholi and Kudzanai Chiurai, amongst others.

There are a myriad of ways to describe the works in this exhibition, but we have picked eight key adjectives that speak to the variety of objects and ideas in the exhibition. Our glossary below is a guide to some of those related to the themes and concepts explored by artists.

MONOCHROME – often used to describe artworks that are black-and-white, this word comes from mono (one) and chroma (colour).

SERIAL – in series; similar or even identical individual artworks that come together in succession to form a larger body of work.

QUEER – a reclaimed umbrella term for LGBTQ+ people and other “outsiders” to social norms of gender and sexuality.

POLITICAL – relating to systems of power and social structures like nations, governments, and institutions.

TEXTUAL – using or relating to written language; based on reading and writing words to create meaning.

CAMP – having a deliberately theatrical sensibility; wittily extravagant; “extra”.

UNCANNY – slightly off or odd, and unsettlingly so, being beyond what is normal or expected; strange and mysterious; relates especially to the human figure.

ORGANIC – coming from natural living matter like a plant, an animal, or the soil.

Zeitz MOCAA’s exhibition and curatorial programming is generously supported by Gucci, the Mellon Foundation, and BMW South Africa. 

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Please find the media toolkit with media snippet, imagery and image credits, here. For media enquiries, contact Evaan Jason Ferreira at evaanjason.ferreira@zeitzmocaa.museum.

 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 dedicated space for the permanent collection. The institution also includes the Centre for Art Education (CFAE), and The Atelier, a museum residency programme for artists living and working in Cape Town.

Zeitz MOCAA, situated at the Silo District, South Arm Road, V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa, is open Monday through Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm (last entry at 5.30 pm).
zeitzmocaa.museum   

About Gucci

Founded in Florence, Italy, in 1921, Gucci is one of the world’s leading luxury brands, led by President and CEO Marco Bizzarri and Creative Director Alessandro Michele. Following the House’s centenary, Gucci forges ahead into the next hundred years, continuing to redefine luxury while celebrating the creativity, craftsmanship and innovation at the core of its values.

Gucci is part of the global luxury group, Kering, which manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in fashion, leather goods, jewellery and watches.
gucci.com.

About the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the United States’ largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.
mellon.org.

About the BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2023, the BMW Group sold over 2.55 million passenger vehicles and more than 209,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2023 was € 17.1 billion on revenues amounting to € 155.5 billion. As of 31 December 2023, the BMW Group had a workforce of 154,950 employees.The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products. bmwgroup.com