Media release

• Four influential members from Africa and the global art world join Zeitz MOCAA’s Global Council.
• The Global Council advocates for Zeitz MOCAA’s mission to drive transformative conversations and representations of contemporary art from Africa and its Diaspora.

(Cape Town, 5 October 2024): Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is pleased to announce the appointment of four distinguished new members to its Global Council: Simone Leigh (USA), Stephanie Thomas (USA & SA), Jo-Ann Strauss (SA) and Emma Menell (UK & SA). The Global Council is a key advocacy member group that advances the museum’s mission to make a transformative contribution to contemporary art from Africa and its Diaspora.

Simone Leigh is an artist who has had one-person museum exhibitions at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. She is the first artist to be commissioned for the High Line Plinth; Stephanie Thomas is a first generation American born in New York from an Argentine mother and German father. She is an art collector and holds a degree in Fine Art and Commercial Design; Jo-Ann Strauss is a South African entrepreneur and public speaker who has developed her career, as one of the country’s most respected media personalities, into a platform which she uses to advocate for various nonprofit initiatives; and Emma Menell was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and now based in London where she founded Tyburn Gallery. Menell has worked with some of the foremost artists from Africa and its Diaspora and continues to build on Tyburn Gallery’s mission to champion young talent from the African continent, through the Tyburn Foundation.

These new members join a diverse and noteworthy group of experts spanning law, philanthropy, and art history, amongst others: African philanthropist Joanna Masiyiwa; voestalpine VAE SA CEO and art patron, Pulane Tshabalala Kingston; fashion founder and chair of the Rupert Museum, Hanneli Rupert; art historian, Liese Van Der Watt; chairman and CEO of American Elements Corporation, Michael Silver; General Counsel, Samallie Kiyingi; renowned artists, Julie Mehretu, Wangechi Mutu, Carsten Höller, Oscar Murillo and Yinka Shonibare CBE RA; Africa Lighthouse Capital founder and CEO, Bame Pule; Managing Director of Grisebach Switzerland, Michèle Sandoz; and Global Council Chair, Acha Leke, Senior Partner and Chairperson of McKinsey Africa and a member of McKinsey’s Shareholders Council.

“I welcome the four new additions to the Global Council who join like-minded ambassadors of Zeitz MOCAA in working towards raising the profile of the institution through advocacy, communication and fundraising,” says Koyo Kouoh, Zeitz MOCAA Executive Director and Chief Curator. “A key part of their role is to participate in cultivation initiatives throughout Africa, most recently Accra Ghana, to develop deeper knowledge and connections to the unique, creative communities on the continent and to actively engage in curatorial and artistic practices that advance the museum’s mission to further the dialogue of art from Africa and its Diaspora,” adds Kouoh.

Acha Leke remarks: “Zeitz MOCAA is a groundbreaking, contemporary art institution that offers a very important public service to the world. As our Global Council grows, we seek out members who are seriously interested in contemporary art from Africa and its Diaspora and invite them to join us in our commitment towards the growth and sustainability of the museum. Together, we have an incredible opportunity to bring visibility to Africa-inspired philanthropy, and to the transformation of arts and culture on the continent and Diaspora.”

The Global Council is mandated to support the museum’s vision to produce and present cutting-edge contemporary exhibitions and art historical knowledge, enhance the careers of Africa’s most talented artists in the 21st century and beyond, strengthen its education programmes, and ensure access for all. They contribute vital funds to further advance the museum’s mission and significantly impact the institution’s robust programme and agenda.

For more information on the Zeitz MOCAA Global Council or to become a member, contact Tiffany Andrews, Partnerships Manager at Zeitz MOCAA, at tiffany.andrews@zeitzmocaa.museum.

//ends

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

Issued by Zeitz MOCAA Communications.

 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