A museum from Africa, for Africa, in Africa
The Zeitz Collection will be housed in a nine-storey repository at the V&A Waterfront, writes Nontando Mposo
THE RIJKSMUSEUMin Amsterdam is one of the finest museums I have ever visited. Not only is the building an architectural marvel of synthesis between the original 20th century façade and its modern interior, it holds an extensive collection of collectables by Dutch masters such as Rembrandt van Rijn and Vincent van Gogh.
With about 8 000 objects of art and history on display, it’s impossible to get through everything in one visit. Each display requires that one spend a considerable amount of time exploring it, and one of my favourite sections is The Night Watch Gallery, where Rembrandt’s famous civic guard portrait De Nachtwacht hangs.
I spent the longest time at the fashion exhibition section where most of the apparel displayed was worn by those in the upper echelons of society, from the 17th century though to the middle of the 20th century. The exhibition showcases exquisite cuts, textiles and embellishments, and one of the dresses is the A-line shift “Mondrian” dress by French designer Yves Saint Laurent.
A growing interest in fashion has resulted in a rising popularity of largescale fashion exhibitions around the world. Most tell the story of the designers’ past and give context to how they came to create their signature garment.
Prominent fashion museums include The Fashion and Textiles Museum in London and The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. And soon we will have our Costume Institute at Zeitz Mocaa, the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa.
Zeitz Mocaa is a non-profit institution that was established in 2013 through a partnership of the V&A Waterfront and German businessman and former Puma chief executive Jochen Zeitz, whose Zeitz Collection is considered the most extensive and representative collection of contemporary art from Africa.
The museum will be the first major museum in Africa dedicated to contemporary art from the continent. Its construction at the reimagined historic Grain Silo complex at the V&A Waterfront is under way and the museum is set to open to the public in September next year.
“For five years we investigated sites across Africa to find a major public contemporary art museum for Africa and its diaspora – a museum from Africa, for Africa, in Africa. Zeitz Mocaa at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town is a perfect venue, and opportunity, to share with local and international visitors the innovation, cutting-edge creativity and risktaking that artists in my collection demonstrate,” says Zeitz.
“Over the last two decades, Africa has played an important role in both my professional and private life. My art collection has been strategically built over many years specifically with the goal to create an internationally relevant public contemporary art museum in Africa. The V&A Waterfront is an iconic location in an iconic city, and the museum will be situated in a historic landmark building.
“This will make my collection accessible to a local, national, continental and international audience,” he says. Designed by internationally acclaimed architect and designer Thomas Heatherwick of the UK-based Heatherwick Studio, the building is set to be impressive.
The nine-floor structure will house a myriad gallery spaces, a sculpture garden, bookshop, restaurant, technical training areas, research laboratories and reading rooms as well as areas dedicated to education, retail and hospitality. It is touted as a new kind of museum in an African context that will become a powerful symbol of the continent’s ambition and a valuable repository of its art and culture.
“Zeitz Mocaa will constitute a re-imagining of a museum within an African context: celebrate Africa preserving its own cultural legacy, writing its own history and defining itself on its own terms,” says Mark Coetzee, executive director and chief curator of Zeitz Mocaa.
The Costume Institute’s mandate is to purchase, collect and preserve for future generations the extraordinary contemporary fashion arts to be found in Africa and its diaspora, explains Coetzee.
“All costume designers in and originating from the continent will be celebrated and exhibited. This institute has a mission to represent the diversity of creativity in Africa and its influence beyond our shores.
“With increasing attention being focused on the creative industries in Africa, the Costume Institute will position costume designers in Africa along with their peers internationally and guarantee that their contribution is not only acknowledged but also celebrated,” Coetzee says.
The Zeitz Collection was founded in 2002 by Jochen Zeitz and is one of the most representative collections of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. Over the years it has been exhibited in Switzerland, Spain, South Africa and through an extensive presentation of art at Segera Retreat in Kenya.
Coetzee, who also acts as cultural specialist for the Zeitz Foundation, says the Costume Institute will be on par with similar establishments across the world.
“Museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Vic- toria and Albert Museum in London, have been exhibiting clothing, costumes and fashion for over half-a-century. These exhibitions are hugely supported by millions of visitors each year and have captured the imagination and aspirations of many generations,” he says.
Zeitz Mocaa hosted their second fundraising gala dinner on February 27, which was presented by Standard Bank Wealth and Investment and attended by the who’s who in business, the arts and fashion. Ticket sales raised R2.5 million for the Access for All Campaign which will ensure that those who can’t afford admission to the museum will not be turned away.
“This museum is a symbol, an icon of the confidence we feel about being African, the confidence that we feel about our place in the world. “And that’s what makes this so extraordinary. We have been given an opportunity to create a museum for all, and we must guarantee Access for All,” says Coetzee.
For more information, see www.zeitzfoundation.org, www.thelongrun.com, and www.segera.com