THE TATE MODERN MUSEUM in London announced new appointments to its curatorial team today, covering African, Middle Eastern and South Asian modern and contemporary art. Nabila Abdel Nabi (Middle East and North Africa), Osei Bonsu (Africa), and Devika Singh (South Asia), have been named curators, international art. Valentina Ravaglia’s new role is curator, displays and international art.
The museum said it is committed to rethinking the history of modern and contemporary art, expanding its focus beyond Europe and North America and “reassessing and reframing art historical narratives” through its research, scholarship, exhibitions, and acquisitions. The appointments are part of the “ongoing strategy to explore multiple art histories from a global perspective.”
Bonsu is a British-Ghanaian curator, critic and art historian based in London and Paris. His projects explore transnational histories of art. He joined the Tate Modern earlier this month, where he will specialize in African art and focus on further developing the museum’s representation in the area. He had been working independently with museums, galleries and private collections in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The Tate Modern said it is committed to rethinking the history of modern and contemporary art, expanding its focus beyond Europe and North. The new appointments are part of the strategy.
A lecturer in modern and contemporary art, Bonsu is often in conversation internationally with artists and fellow curators. He is chair of the 2019 African Art in Venice Forum which coincides with the 58th Venice Biennale. In May, he held a talk in Venice with Ibrahim Mahama, the Ghanaian artist who is known for his monumental installations exploring migration and globalization.
In 2017, he curated the 10th edition of Satellites. Titled “The Economy of Living Things,” the exhibition presented four solo shows with artists Ali Cherri, Steffani Jemison, Oscar Murillo, and Jumana Manna, installed in multiple spaces throughout Art House Bernard Anthonioz in Nogent-sur-Marne, France. The exhibition was co-commissioned by Jeu de Paume in Paris and CAPC (Centre for Contemporary Art in Bordeaux).
Bonsu contributed to “All the World’s Futures,” the catalog for the 56th Venice Biennale, under Okwei Enwezor. His writing has also been published in ArtReview, New African, NKA Journal of Contemporary African Art, and frieze, where his contributions have included an interview with Faith Ringgold and a memorial tribute to Enwezor about the power of art publishing. His research residencies include Para Site in Hong Kong, Hospitalfield in Edinburgh, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He has a master’s degree in the history of art from University College London, where his dissertation considered Surrealism in African sculpture.
In a statement, Frances Morris, director of Tate Modern said the experience and expertise of the new curators “will play an important part in expanding our knowledge of modern and contemporary art from Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, furthering our ambition to present a truly international story of art through our programme and collection.” CT
IMAGE: Osei Bonsu. | Photo by Matt Greenwood, Tate Photography
FIND MORE about Osei Bonsu on his website
Osei Bonsu walks through “The Economy of Living Things,” the exhibition he organized with artists Ali Cherri, Steffani Jemison, Oscar Murillo, and Jumana Manna for the 10th edition of Satellites in 2017, at Art House Bernard Anthonioz in Nogent-sur-Marne, France. | Video by Jeu de Paume
