Judges
Raphael Chikukwa
Executive Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe
Born in Zimbabwe, Chikukwa holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts and Culture Management from the University of the Witwatersrand Business School
and an MA in Curating Contemporary Design from
Kingston University, which he attained as a Chevening Scholar. Chikukwa is a Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)/ International Curatorial Institute Centre for Curatorial Leadership (CCL) 2021 Fellow.
Chikukwa joined the National Gallery of Zimbabwe
in 2010 as its Chief Curator and is now the
Executive Director and Chief Curator of the National
Gallery of Zimbabwe. Before joining the National
Gallery of Zimbabwe, Chikukwa worked for over ten
years as an independent curator. Raphael
Chikukwa is the founding Curator of the Pavilion of
Zimbabwe at the Venice Biennale, starting from the
54th, up to the 58th Edition. He is committed to a
multitude of Committees, among them, High Line
Plinth in New York 2020, DAAD (German Academic
Exchange Service), the Delfina Foundation London
UK, the Future Generation Art Prize, and served as
juror for the Dakar Biennale in 2018.
Tim Marlow
Chief Executive and Director, Design Museum, UK
Tim Marlow is Chief Executive and Director of the Design Museum in London.
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Formerly Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Arts and Director of Exhibitions at White Cube, Marlow has been involved in the contemporary art world for the past thirty years as a curator, writer and broadcaster. He has worked with many of the most important and influential artists of our time to deliver wide-ranging and popular programmes and brings a commitment to diverse and engaging exhibitions to his new role showcasing the transformational capability of design.
Marlow sits on the Board of Trustees for the Imperial War Museum, the Design Age Institute and Cultureshock Media. Marlow was awarded an OBE in 2019.
2024 Judges
Ngaire Blankenberg
Founder & Director, Institute for Creative Repair
Ngaire Blankenberg is the founder and director of the Institute for Creative Repair- a new initiative that is working to repair individuals, communities, institutions and cities, through arts, culture and heritage. Previously, she was the Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (NMAFA) from 2021-2023.
Under her leadership, Ngaire began transforming NMAFA into a 21st Century Global African Art Museum with a vision to contribute to more regenerative art ecosystems, underpinned by African philosophies. She was instrumental in issues of restitution; in her first year as director, she led the Smithsonian’s efforts to return the ‘Benin Bronzes’ in its collections back to Nigeria and was co-lead in the pan-Smithsonian Collections Stewardship Strategic Initiative.
Sean O'Toole
Writer, Editor and Curator
Sean O’Toole is writer, editor and curator based in Cape Town. His books include the biography Irma Stern: African in Europe – European in Africa (2021) and short story collection The Marquis of Mooikloof and Other Stories (2006). He has edited three volumes of essays, including African Futures (2016) and The Journey (2020). His essays have appeared in monographs by, among others, Michael Armitage, David Goldblatt, Gareth Nyandoro, Brett Seiler, Penny Siopis and James Webb. He is a past editor of Art South Africa (now Art Africa) and co-founded the urban-affairs magazine Cityscapes. A working journalist principally focussed on art, photography and architecture, he has published well over 1000 news articles, reviews, features and commentary in print and online. His recent curatorial projects include Congress (2021) at Norval Foundation and Photo book! Photo-book! Photobook! (2022) at A4 Arts Foundation. He has adjudicated numerous awards, including the Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant, Daimler Award for South African Photography and Frieze Writer’s Prize. He is the founder of independent publisher Extemporary Press.
2022 & 2023 Judges
Marie-Anne Yemsi
Independent exhibition curator and contemporary art consultant
Born in Germany to German and Cameroonian parents, Yemsi is a political science graduate who lives and works in Paris. Through Agent Créatif(s), her own agency, Yemsi has developed a renowned expertise in cultural production and art consulting.
Past Judge: Khanya Mashabela, curator at A4 Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa