Zeitz Mocaa names Elvira Dyangani Ose as New Artistic Director
The Cape Town museum has appointed internationally respected curator and museum leader Elvira Dyangani Ose as its new artistic director, with her tenure beginning on 1 October 2026.
Her arrival comes at a particularly significant moment for the museum, which is approaching its 10th anniversary and looking ahead to its second decade.
With a career spanning major cultural institutions across Europe, Africa and the United States, Dyangani Ose brings extensive experience in contemporary art, institutional leadership and creating spaces for artists and audiences to engage across borders.
Dyangani Ose will oversee the museum’s artistic and curatorial direction, guiding its programme as it enters the next phase of its development.
For Zeitz Mocaa co-founder and co-chair David Green OBE, the appointment represents an important continuation of the institution’s identity: African at its core, but international in its outlook.
“Dyangani Ose’s appointment reflects who we are as an institution, one rooted in Africa, while connected to the world,” Green said, explaining that she will lead the museum through its next chapter while building on the foundations established during its first decade.
Her appointment also comes in the wake of the late Koyo Kouoh, whose leadership and artistic vision shaped a defining period for the museum. Dyangani Ose’s role will therefore be both forward-looking and connected to the legacy already established at Zeitz Mocaa.
Dyangani Ose arrives with a career that has taken her through some of the world’s leading contemporary art spaces.
She previously served as director of Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) and The Showroom in London, while earlier curatorial positions included roles at Tate Modern in London and Creative Time in New York.
She is also currently the artistic director of the second Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, running from 2026 to 2027.
Across these roles, her work has been characterised by an interest in artists from Africa and its diaspora, as well as the relationships between art, culture and different geographic contexts. It is this combination of international experience and a pan-African outlook that makes her appointment particularly significant for Zeitz Mocaa.
For co-founder and co-chair Jochen Zeitz, the timing of the appointment is equally important. As the museum moves towards its 10th anniversary, Dyangani Ose is expected to build on the work of its first decade while pushing its artistic ambitions further.
“Dyangani Ose joins Zeitz Mocaa at a defining moment in our journey,” Zeitz said, noting that her experience will help expand the museum’s ambition across exhibitions, research, collections, public engagement and its relationships with artists and audiences.
That broader remit points to an institution looking beyond individual exhibitions. The next phase of Zeitz Mocaa's story will encompass not only what audiences see in its galleries, but also how the museum contributes to research, education, artistic development and conversations around contemporary art.
For Dyangani Ose herself, the opportunity is about continuing to develop an institution with a distinctly African identity while strengthening its connections to the wider international art world.
“It is a privilege to join Zeitz Mocaa,” she said.
“I am thrilled to come on board at this moment to continue its journey as a leading African institution with global reach.”
She also highlighted the importance of collaboration, expressing her intention to work closely with the museum’s team, artists, supporters and communities both locally and internationally.
Her vision, she explained, will focus on “fostering meaningful collaborations and artistic exchanges across cultures and geographies”, an approach that places dialogue and connection at the heart of the museum’s future.
As Zeitz Mocaa approaches its second decade, Dyangani Ose’s appointment signals an institution ready to evolve while remaining grounded in the purpose that has defined it: presenting contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, supporting artists, expanding access to art and contributing to the wider art-historical conversation.
Main Image: Elvira Dyangani Ose, Zeitz Mocaa's newly appointed artistic director. Photo by Ramiie G.