Raphael Chikukwa

Born in Zimbabwe, Raphael Chikukwa worked as an independent curator for more than ten years before joining the National Gallery of Zimbabwe mid-2010 as its Chief Curator. He is the founding curator of the first Zimbabwe Pavilion in 2011, and also curated the Zimbabwe Pavilion 2013, 2015 and 2017 at the Venice Biennale. Chikukwa is a founding member of the PUMA funded Creative Africa Network as an editor and advisor of the project from 2008 – 2009. He is also the co-curator for the Basket Case exhibition in 2014 and co-curator of Kabbo Ka Muwala: Migration and Mobility in Contemporary Art, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Germany. The 2nd Johannesburg Biennale in 1997 provided an impetus to Raphael’s curatorial career after working as a volunteer guide for the Biennale. He later moved to his home country Zimbabwe as a process of relocation to his motherland. Recently he was among seven Curators from Africa attending the Tate Modern Symposium “Curating Africa” where he presented a paper on his curatorial practice. In 2008, Chikukwa represented Africa at the 2008 Art Basel Miami Conversations in the United States of America. The American Centre Foundation also awarded Raphael a curatorial research grant in 2006 – 2007 and he travelled in West Africa for his curatorial. His intention is to change the visual arts landscape of Zimbabwe.