The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), in collaboration with the 2023 cohort of Museum Fellows from the University of the Western Cape (UWC), is currently presenting “SALA“, a grandiose group exhibition showcasing the creativity of 17 contemporary artists from Africa and its diaspora. Until April 12, 2026, the Zeitz MOCAA opens its doors to visitors and contemporary art lovers for an intimate exploration of its permanent collection.
“SALA” offers a plunge into the heart of the museum’s works and permanent acquisitions, aimed at promoting its vision and mission: to highlight the role of contemporary art in society, and to provide a space conducive to encountering and valuing the work of artists.
At the heart of this exclusive art exhibition are questions that encourage visitors to engage in critical reflection on the limits and possibilities of the museum. The title of the exhibition, “SALA“, clearly symbolizes this call to meditation. This word is a term common to several Nguni languages of southern Africa, forming part of an exchange between people who are parting ways: “hamba kahle” conveying wishes for departure, and “sala kahle” welcoming or accompanying those who are leaving or staying. In this way, “Sala” invites the public to join participating artists in re-imagining the museum space as a personified place, from a diverse artistic and amateur point of view.
In a stunning visual panorama, Zeitz MOCAA will present works by celebrated artists such as South African painter and performer Athi-Patra Ruga, Kenyan photographer and sculptor Cyrus Kabiru, Angolan photographer Edson Chagas, American writer, illustrator and painter Frohawk Two Feathers, Beninese painter Julien Sinzogan, and Zimbabwean multidisciplinary activist Kudzanai Chiurai. The creations of South African artists Lungiswa Gqunta, Neo Matloga, Thania Petersen, Robin Rhode, Zanele Muholi, and Michele Mathison will also be featured, as will those of Tunisian photographer Mouna Karray, American artist Rashid Johnson, Malagasy interdisciplinary artist and designer Joël Andrianomearisoa, Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui, and Sudanese painter, designer and filmmaker Salah Elmur.
Through a dazzling diversity of artistic media, including photography, performance, installation, video, multimedia, painting, sculpture and more, these established artists and leading figures on the contemporary art scene contribute seamlessly to the rich tapestry of the “SALA” exhibition. They invite the public to navigate nimbly through this diversity of works, to linger, reflect and engage in profound discussions with the installations within the transformed museum space.
Visitors find themselves immersed in this stimulating, boundless artistic plurality. For a glimpse of the exclusive experience offered during the exhibition, Thania Petersen, through her soundscapes inspired by her Sufi spiritual upbringing, invites viewers to a unique sensory immersion that captivates their attention. Joël Andrianomearisoa’s black-and-white photography takes us on a journey through time, while El Anatsui defies geographical constraints by using everyday materials in his creations.
In their personal interpretations of the exhibition theme “SALA“, the 17 artists explore through their art the questions surrounding the choice of the exhibition title. They invite the public to dialogue and reflect with them on the works of art and the space of Zeitz MOCAA.
The group exhibition is organized by Storm Janse van Rensburg in collaboration with the Zeitz MOCAA and the Museum Fellows 2023 of the University of the Western Cape (UWC): fine arts graduates Evaan Jason Ferreira from South Africa and Bulelwa Kunene from Eswatini, educator Mona Eshraghi Hakimi from Malawi, visual anthropology graduate Pauline Buhlebenkosi Ndhlovu from Namibia and Mozambican architect and urban planner Ana Raquel Machava. Gucci and the Mellon Foundation proudly support the Zeitz MOCAA’s curatorial, exhibition and scholarship programs. The AKO Foundation also supports the exhibition and contribution of the Zeitz MOCAA and the Museum Fellows of the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
