Chikukwa Chikukwa

Raphael Chikukwa is a Zimbabwean Independent Curator currently Kingston University PhD scholar in London. He has just been appointed the new National Gallery of Zimbabwe Curator. In 2008 Raphael was part of the part of the Art Basel Miami Converstaions. Chikukwa also co organised a research visit by a Nigerian Artist/Curator Ozioma Onzulike to UK with Visiting Arts in 2008. He has curated a number of exhibitions in Zimbabwe and in the United Kingdom, some of the major exhibitions include, Harare International Festival of the exhibitions from the year 2000 up to 2004, Visions of Zimbabwe at the Manchester Art Gallery 2004 and Afrikan Heroes Imperial War Museum North 2006. Afrikan Heroes exhibition was an eye openner to the international audiance about the contribution by Afrikan Veterans during the First and second World War. According to Chikukwa, "This exhibition was an opportunity to give a voice to the forgotten Heroes of the Commonwealth."

Visions of Zimbabwe was a landmark exhibition which brought together cutting edge zimbabwean artists and writers that included, Tapfuma Gutsa, Berry Bickle, Chikonzero Chazunguza, Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, David Brazia, Grace Mutandwa to mention but a few. Raphael Chikukwa is Chevening Scholar with an MA Curating Contemporary Design from Kingston University. In 2006 Raphael Chikukwa was awarded with a Curatorial travel grant by the American Centre Foundation. The travel grant gave Chikukwa an opportunity to travel West Africa in 2008 meeting artists and curators in that part of Africa.

He has taken part in a number of Contemporary Art Forums in Senegal, South Africa, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, England, France, USA, and other parts of Africa. Chikukwa was behind the 1st and 2nd Breaking the Bounderies: International Art Critic Forum in 2003 and 2004 at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe during HIFA. Raphael Chikukwa took part in the Africa Remix Colloque at the Centre Pampidou in 2005.