The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) has named Elvira Dyangani Ose as its new Artistic Director, bringing a veteran of European state museums to the helm of the continent’s largest contemporary art institution.
She assumes the role on October 1, 2026.
Dyangani Ose arrives as the institution approaches its tenth anniversary, stepping into the structural framework established by the late Koyo Kouoh, who directed the museum from 2019 until her death in 2025.
Following an extensive local and international search, the Zeitz Board welcomed Elvira Dyangani Ose. Meanwhile, Zeitz MOCAA co-founder and co-chair David Green said: “Her appointment reflects who we are as an institution rooted in Africa, while connected to the world.
“She will oversee the Museum’s curatorial vision and direction, leading the institution through its next chapter.”
Born in Spain to Equatoguinean parents, Dyangani Ose holds a degree in the History of Art from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, a Diploma of Advanced Studies in the History and Theory of Architecture from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and is currently a doctoral candidate at Cornell University in New York.
Her understanding of architectural theory informs her curatorial practice: she approaches museums as spatial structures that dictate how cultural authority is distributed.
This approach was evident during her time as Curator of International Art at Tate Modern in London (2011–2014).
She did not simply curate exhibitions; she authored Tate’s first formal acquisition strategy for art from Africa and its diaspora. Her work forced the institution to systematically budget for and acquire African modernism.
More recently, Dyangani Ose served as the Director of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) from 2021 to April 2026 as the first Black woman to direct a major European modern art museum.
A Silo’s Turbulence
To understand the specific operational demands of Zeitz MOCAA, one must look at the institution’s physical and historical context. The museum is home to a grain silo complex in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, which workers originally built in the 1920s to facilitate mass exports for South African agriculture.
The R500 million museum opened in September 2017, hollowed out from historic concrete tubes by British architect Thomas Heatherwick. However, the architectural marvel faced immediate skepticism regarding its true commitment to being an inclusive, pan-African space.
In 2019, when the board appointed Koyo Kouoh, a pivotal shift took place as she addressed this structural tension head-on, reorienting the museum’s focus from a top-down showcase to a rigorous pan-African research hub.
She established the Koyo Kouoh Atelier residency, expanded the BMW Centre for Art Education, and insisted that the museum produce primary scholarship on African soil rather than relying on Western institutional validation in her years dedicated to the Museum before her passing last year.
In memory of former Zeitz MOCAA Executive Director and Chief Curator Koyo Kouoh (1967–2025), who transformed the museum into a premier pan-African research hub.
Under Kouoh’s leadership, Zeitz MOCAA proved it possessed the infrastructure and intellectual weight to mount global blockbusters. Standout exhibitions have defined the museum’s trajectory over the past several years.
The 2019 dual-institution William Kentridge retrospective Why Should I Hesitate, proved the museum could handle massive, site-specific installations.
The 2022 Tracey Rose retrospective Shooting Down Babylon offered an unflinching, comprehensive look at post-apartheid radicalism.
Most significantly, the museum mounted When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting (2022–2023).
The sweeping exhibition brought together over 200 artworks from global Black artists, successfully replacing the trauma-centric lens that critics often apply to African art with a focus on Black joy, rest, and everyday life.
According to Zeitz MOCAA Co-Founder Jochen Zeitz, Dyangani Ose’s arrival marks a “defining moment” for the museum, bringing the leadership needed to broaden its scope across research, collections, and public programming.
A Vision for the New Decade
While much of her career has been anchored in European institutions, Dyangani Ose has deep, pre-existing ties to the South African curatorial landscape.
Exactly twenty years ago, she co-curated the 2006 exhibition Olvida Quien Soy / Erase from who I Am at the Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno in Las Palmas, Spain.
She worked directly with prominent South African curators Gabi Ngcobo, Tracy Murinik, and Khwezi Guli to examine how 14 emerging post-apartheid artists were formulating new modes of self-representation.
It was a rigorous, ground-level engagement with South African contemporary art during a critical transitional period; it was also a formative milestone in Dyangani Ose’s career, shaping her vision for African storytelling and representation.
“It is a privilege to join Zeitz MOCAA. I am thrilled to come on board at this moment to continue its journey as a leading African institution with global reach,” Dyangani Ose said.
“I look forward to working alongside the museum’s remarkable team, artists, supporters, and the local and global communities, building upon its extraordinary foundation by fostering meaningful collaborations and artistic exchanges across cultures and geographies.”
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