Raphael Chikukwa

Raphael Chikukwa is the Executive Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. Chikukwa is the founding Curator of the Zimbabwe Pavilion curator at the 54th Venice Biennale 2011. He also curated other edition of the Zimbabwe Pavilion from 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019. Chikukwa was a panelist for the Art Basel Hong Kong 2019 and also a jury member for the Dakar Biennale 2018 in Senegal. He has also contributed in a number of Publications that includes Mowonero: Insights in Zimbabwean Contemporary Art, Zimbabwe Pavilion Catalogues (Seeing Ourselves 2011, Dudziro 2013, Pixels of Ubuntu/Unhu 2015, Deconstructing Boundaries 2017 and Soko Risina Musoro – A Tale Without. Head 2019) Kaboo Ka Muwala: Migration and Mobility Exhibition 2016 etc. His qualifications and international experience earned this position at the national institution, which he hopes to change the visual arts landscape of Zimbabwe. Chikukwa was awarded the 2006 -2007 Chevening Scholar now holds an MA Curating Contemporary Design from Kingston University London.

Born in Zimbabwe, Chikukwa worked mainly as an independent curator before joining the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, where he served as its Chief Curator of Contemporary Art and Deputy Director from 2010 to 2020. 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. Chikukwa is a founding staff member of the PUMA funded Creative Africa Network as an editor and advisor of the project from 2008 – 2009. 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 2006–07 and he travelled in West Africa for his curatorial research.