CIMAM Gathered at the Zimbabwe Pavilion in Venice Ahead of CIMAM 2026 in Harare
On 8 May 2026, the Zimbabwe Pavilion at the Biennale di Venezia hosted a special gathering bringing together the Board of CIMAM, representatives of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, lead sponsors of the conference, CIMAM Patrons, and invited guests to reaffirm a shared commitment to the upcoming CIMAM Annual Conference, which will take place in Harare from 20–22 November 2026 under the title Museums Beyond Limits: Imagining Repair Across Cultures, Ecologies and Knowledges.
From left to right: Fadzai Veronica Muchemwa, Deputy Director and Curator of Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe, and member of the Contents Committee; Paula Nascimento, Independent Curator, Luanda, Angola, and member of the Contents Committee; Jochen Volz, Director, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, CIMAM Board member and member of the Contents Committee; Raphael Chikukwa, Executive Director, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe; CIMAM Board member, and member of the Contents Committee; Mercedes Vilardell, member of Tate Modern’s International Council, Friend of CIMAM supporting the conference; Amanda de la Garza, CIMAM President and Deputy Artistic Director, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS), Madrid, Spain; Mr. Maphios Cheda, Chairman of the Board of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe; Ms. Kholoane Mangena Board Member of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Ms. Joanna Masiyiwa, Head of the Legacy Pillar at the Higherlife Foundation and Mr. Nicholas Moyo, Permanent Secretary of Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture.
The gathering brought together the conference’s Lead Sponsors and distinguished guests, including Mr. Nicholas Moyo, Permanent Secretary of Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture; Ms. Joanna Masiyiwa, Head of the Legacy Pillar at the Higherlife Foundation, and Mercedes Vilardell, Friend of CIMAM, together with Mr. Maphios Cheda, Chairman of the Board of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe; Raphael Chikukwa, Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, the conference’s host institution; Amanda de la Garza, President of CIMAM; and Jochen Volz, CIMAM Board Member and member of the CIMAM Content Committee 2026.
The meeting offered an opportunity to share an initial preview of some of the key themes, questions, and reflections that will shape the Harare conference, while also celebrating Zimbabwe’s significant presence at this year’s Venice Biennale and the growing international dialogue surrounding contemporary artistic practices across the African continent.
Bringing together practitioners, scholars, and cultural workers, the conference will seek to open new conversations on how museums can act as sites of critical reflection, collective care, and transformative possibility in a world that demands new ways of relating, knowing, and repairing.
CIMAM extends its sincere thanks to everyone who joined this occasion in Venice and contributed to this shared moment of dialogue and collaboration.
We look forward to continuing the conversation in Harare this November.