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Tumelo Mosaka: International Curator of African Art

Tumelo Mosaka:  International Curator of African Art

 

 




Introduction to Tumelo Mosaka.   1:33 min.  Interview:  Raymond Elman.  Post-Production:  Lee Skye.  Music: Xilo-Ziko,  Recorded via Zoom:  3/16/2022, Miami.

 

TUMELO MOSAKA is an independent curator from South Africa.  He has been collaborating with The Opa-locka Community Development Corporation (OLCDC) for approximately 8 years, curating exhibitions that inspire and explore the complexity of living between cultures and places in a global society.  His current exhibition Beyond Tradition: Contemporary Sculptures from Africaopened on February 26th, 2022, at The ARC in Downtown Opa-locka

 

He was the contemporary art curator at the Krannert Art Museum (KAM) in Champaign, IL where he curated several exhibitions including: Blind Field (2013), OPENSTUDIO (2011), The Kangarok Epic (2011), iona rozeal brown (2011), MAKEBA! (2011), Baggage Allowance (2010), The Bikeriders: Danny Lyon (2010), Lida Abdul (2010), and On Screen: Global Intimacy (2009), among others. Prior to joining KAM, Mosaka was Associate Curator of Exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum where he curated exhibitions such as Infinite Islands: Contemporary Caribbean Art (2007), Passing/Posing: Kehinde Wiley (2004) and co-curated Open House: Working in Brooklyn (2004). Mosaka has also worked for the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina where he co-curated the exhibition Listening Across Cultures (2001) and Evoking History (2002). He has also organized several international exhibitions including Otherwise Black (2014) for the 1st edition International Biennale of Contemporary Art in Martinique (BIAC).

 

The videos below were recorded via Zoom, are organized by Success Factor, and run between 60 seconds and 5 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.

 

 

EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES:   2:45 min.




Where did you grow up, and how did you become interested in art?

 

OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED:   3:02 min.




What was the evolution of your career from college to the present?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  3:07 min.




Are you still making your own art?

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:  3:48 min.




The traditional art that I know best — Australian Aboriginal, Northwest Coast first peoples, African — all have a magical quality that is lost when some contemporary artists try to imitate it. But there are also contemporary artists who are able to learn from and build upon traditional art. Your thoughts?

 

COMMUNITY VALUES:  4:16 min.




How did you get involved with curating exhibitions for the Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation (OLCDC)?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:   4:13 min.




Tell us about the current exhibition at OLCDC, “Beyond Tradition: Contemporary Sculptures from Africa.”

 

VALUES FIRST-RATE EDUCATION:  1:18 min.




I have spoken with college students who did not go inside art museums because they thought they had to get dressed up.

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:  3:45 min.




What are some of the important elements that people should consider when they view your curated blend of traditional and contemporary African art at OLCDC?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  3:02 min.




Some people say that high-energy, dynamic art is more likely to be made in conflict zones or in circumstances of deprivation than in circumstances of comfort. Your thoughts?

 

COMMUNITY VALUES:  2:11 min.




You curate exhibitions all over the world. What are your thoughts about the Miami art community?

 

COMMUNITY VALUES:  2:07 min.




What has been your experience with community outreach in Opa-Locka?