The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) will host its 2026 Curated Art Tour in Harare, Zimbabwe, from 19 to 23 November, bringing participants into contact with the artists, galleries, residencies, and cultural institutions shaping the country’s contemporary art scene.

The five-day program combines studio visits, institutional engagements, and meetings with collectors and cultural practitioners, offering a closer look at the networks supporting artistic production in Zimbabwe.

Hosted by Michèle Sandoz, Dr Greer Valley, and Tiffany Andrews, the tour extends Zeitz MOCAA’s program of engagement with art communities across Africa. Its itinerary moves between established institutions and independent initiatives, examining how artists develop their practices, build networks, and connect with audiences locally and internationally.

Exploring Harare’s Artistic Landscape

The programme includes visits to the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, First Floor Gallery Harare, and Mbare Art Space, founded by artist Moffat Takadiwa. Participants will also visit Animal Farm Artist Residency, founded by Admire Kamudzengerere, and the studio of artist Wallen Mapondera.

Further studio visits are scheduled with Portia Zvavahera and Michele Mathison, whose practices offer different perspectives on contemporary art in Zimbabwe. These encounters place individual artistic approaches alongside the spaces and relationships that support their development.

The itinerary also includes a visit to Village Unhu, an artist-led initiative founded by Georgina Maxim and Meshek Masamvu, as well as a private collection visit exploring the relationship between artists, collectors, and the wider cultural community. A welcome breakfast at CHEUKA Art Fair will introduce participants to Harare’s creative networks.

Depending on the final schedule, the group may also visit the Pamurove Foundation in Domboshava. The rural initiative would extend the program beyond the capital, offering a perspective on efforts to develop artistic spaces and support networks outside the city.

Taken together, these visits move beyond exhibition spaces to consider the broader conditions of artistic production: the role of artist-led organisations, the contribution of residencies, the relationship between public institutions and independent galleries, and the networks through which artists sustain their work.

Zimbabwe in International Museum Conversations

The tour also connects with the annual CIMAM Conference, which is taking place on the African continent for the first time. Hosted by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe under the leadership of its director, Raphael Chikukwa, the conference brings an international museum and contemporary art context to the program.

Chikukwa also serves as commissioner of the Zimbabwe Pavilion at the Venice Biennale and has supported the international presentation of Zimbabwean artists. His connection to Zeitz MOCAA includes curatorial support for Michele Mathison’s presentation in the museum’s inaugural exhibition in 2017.

The conference provides an opportunity to consider Zimbabwe’s place within international discussions about museums, curatorial practice, and the circulation of contemporary art. Its inclusion in the tour places Harare’s artistic networks within a wider institutional conversation, linking local initiatives with questions about how museums represent and engage with artistic communities.

The day will conclude with a dinner bringing together artists, curators, and invited guests.

Continuing Koyo Kouoh’s Vision

Zeitz MOCAA established its Curated Art Tour series under the leadership of its late Executive Director and Chief Curator, Koyo Kouoh. She conceived the programme as a way to deepen the museum’s relationships with artistic communities across the continent while giving patrons and supporters opportunities to engage directly with artists and the contexts in which they work.

Previous tours led by Kouoh included visits to Dakar, Nairobi, Accra, and Tamale. The Harare edition continues this approach by bringing participants into contact with artists, independent spaces, cultural institutions, and collecting communities rather than limiting the experience to formal exhibitions.

The programme reflects a broader understanding of contemporary art as part of an interconnected cultural ecosystem. Studios and galleries provide spaces for production and presentation; residencies support experimentation and exchange; collectors contribute to the circulation of works; and museums and curators shape how practices enter wider art-historical and institutional conversations.

By bringing these elements together, the tour offers a view of Zimbabwe’s art scene through the relationships and infrastructures that sustain it.

Dates, Fees and Participation

The tour begins with arrivals in Harare on 19 November, followed by a welcome dinner at Amanzi Lodge, which will serve as the group’s base. Curated art visits and cultural engagements continue on 20 and 21 November, with design-focused visits and informal exchanges scheduled for 22 November. Participants depart on 23 November 2026.

The participation fee is US$2,000 per person. It covers local transport, meals included in the scheduled group programme, curated experiences, and access to the expertise of the Zeitz MOCAA hosts.

Flights, accommodation, airport transfers, visas, travel insurance, personal expenses, and meals outside the scheduled programme are not included. Participants must arrange these independently and obtain adequate travel insurance covering emergency medical expenses, trip cancellation or curtailment, personal liability, and travel delays.

The museum will distribute the final itinerary three weeks before departure.

A Closer Look at Zimbabwe’s Contemporary Art Ecosystem

Zeitz MOCAA’s 2026 Curated Art Tour places Harare’s artists and cultural institutions at the centre of a programme built around direct engagement and exchange. By connecting studio visits and independent initiatives with museum practice and international curatorial discussions, the tour examines the structures through which contemporary art is produced, supported, and presented.

Continuing Koyo Kouoh’s vision, the programme also reinforces the importance of relationships between museums and the artistic communities they engage. In Harare, those relationships provide a starting point for understanding Zimbabwean contemporary art not simply through individual works, but through the people, spaces, and institutions that enable its development.