Atrium vault of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa

Sprawling across 6,500 sqm of the extensive exhibition space, the inaugural shows will use all of the 100 galleries available across seven floors of The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA). In fact, the rush was so great that 24,000 tickets were sold out in a matter of minutes as reported by The Guardian even before its official opening on Sep 22.

Nestled in a converted grain silo with views overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Zeitz MOCAA is uniquely built to truly embrace Africa’s devotion to contemporary arts. Generously supported by a not-for-profit public institution, Zeitz MOCAA is privately funded and currently houses the collection of the German businessman Jochen Zeitz, together with a series of temporary exhibitions.

The “Luanda, Encyclopedic City” showcases mass-produced images from the artist’s photographic series “Found Not Taken” (2009- 2013) and “iimpundulu zonke ziyandilandela”, featuring original works by South African artist Nicholas Hlobo from the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011. He played with the idea by utilising materials such as rubber inner tubing, colourful ribbons, an animal skull, and pink theatre lights combined to complete his artworks.

In addition, enjoy all that the museum has to offer – top-end restaurants, cafes, shops and a 28-room boutique luxury hotel on its upper levels.

“This museum is a symbol and an icon of the confidence we feel about being Africans, the confidence we feel about our place in the world.” – Mark Coetzee, Executive Director and Chief Curator

The newly developed Curatorial Lab will experiment with curatorial practice, research new methodologies, and address under-represented topics such as confronting issues facing the marginalised LGBTQ community. The project attempts not only to promote intercultural understanding but also develop critical thinking about gender and sexuality in South Africa.