Zeitz MOCCA
2020-04-23
Contemporary African Art particularly cannot be generalized and reduced to a singular concept simply by the fact that there are many art scenes happening all over Africa and each is fuelled by its own contextual parameters. Is it appropriate to assign art to a continent of 54 countries, 1.2 billion people, about 3000 tribes and a couple of thousands more different cultures?
Six African cities, namely Addis Ababa, Lagos, Marrakesh, Dakar, Accra and Cape Town, have been established as Africa’s art capitals, Cape Town housing the largest museum of contemporary African art in the world - Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art African.
Zeitz Mocaa preserves researches and exhibits 21st-century art from Africa and its diaspora; hosts international exhibitions; develops supporting educational and enrichment programmes; encourages intercultural understanding, and guarantees access for all.
The Zeitz Mocaa building was originally grain silos built in 1921, and were modified into the eminent architectural design it is today.
The museum is located in the V&A Waterfront, on the banks of Table Bay overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The Waterfront had been investigating a number of proposals regarding what to do with the historic Grain Silo since it was decommissioned in 2001, until Jochen Zeitz proposed that it gets converted into a museum as he was looking for a museum to house his collection of African contemporary art.
The exhibition space covers 6,000 square meters over nine floors, with 100 gallery spaces. Visiting the museum and seeing the art it contains and the profound architecture is like stepping into another realm, it’s magical.
