Raphael Chikukwa, Executive Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, and Fadzai Veronica Muchemwa, the gallery's Deputy Director and Curator of Contemporary Art, have been named to the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art's (CIMAM) 2026 Content Committee.
This is the body within CIMAM, that will conceive and organise the 2026 CIMAM annual conference, the organisation's most pivotal yearly event.
The conference will this year be held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from 20 to 22 November, hosted by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
The 2026 edition will be a landmark event, marking the first time a CIMAM annual conference takes place on the African continent, further strengthening the organization’s commitment to global representation, exchange, and equitable cultural dialogue.
In bringing the event to life, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe is collaborating with the Higherlife Foundation, who are currently funding the ongoing renovations to the art space. Beyond the conference the organisation hopes to strengthen institutional capacity so that NGZ is positioned as a leading cultural institution in Africa that is able to host, curate, and dialogue at a global standard.
Last year Higherlife, together with NGZ attended the CIMAM conference in Turin, Italy, where Raphael Chikukwa was named to the CIMAM board, a role he will occupy for the next 3 years.
Raphael Chikukwa
Chikukwa and Muchemwa have a combined 50+ years experience in the art space that perfectly positions to help guide the forthcoming global art conference. The National Gallery duo will be a joined by an impressive list of art professionals from the African continent and across the globe on the 2026 Content Committee.
The names include: Elvira Dyangani Ose (Chair), Director, Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), Clara Kim, Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and Renée Akitelek Mboya, Collaborative Editor, Wali Chafu Collective among others.
Founded in 1962, CIMAM has grown to have a membership of over 1000 contemporary art museum professionals from over 90 different countries.
The organisation's vision is a world where the contribution of museums, collections, and archives of modern and contemporary art to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of society is recognized and respected.