The world’s largest museum dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora will be unveiled on Friday at the official opening of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA).
The ambitious R500 million project envisioned by the
V&A Waterfront, in consultation with London’s Heatherwick Studio, to convert an almost 100-year-old grain silo, has been four years in the making.
V&A Waterfront chief executive David Green said: “We recognised the importance art plays in society and the need to showcase the talents of Africa in Africa.
“It is for these reasons we are so proud to be able to unveil a home that will not only be a powerful platform for the artists, allowing locals and international visitors access to great works of art, but will become the legacy of society as a whole.”
Heatherwick Studio’s founder, Thomas Heatherwick, said: “The idea of turning a giant, disused concrete grain silo made from 116
vertical tubes into a new kind of public space was weird
and compelling from the beginning.
“We were excited by the opportunity to unlock this formerly dead structure
and transform it into somewhere for people to see and enjoy the most incredible artworks from the continent of Africa.”