VUT-established art curator making waves offshore

Promoting the world of South African Art on national and international platforms is Nkululeko Khumalo, an independent curator and a printmaking lecturer at VUT. Her most recent tour was to the United States in April.

"The aim of the tour was to promote South African Art Collectives within the visual arts," she said. Her tour began in Santa Fe in New Mexico, followed by a show in San Diego, then the most prestigious show the Art Basel in Miami and concluded with the New York Art Expo exhibition in Manhattan. The tour served as a platform for South African Art Collectives to display the amazing group of artist's creative work.

As she arrived at the Santa Fe Art Exhibition in New Mexico, she helped the artists to curate their artworks. That helped to win best-curated stand in Santa Fe and opened opportunities for her to prove herself as she won more awards in Miami and in New York.

"Studying curating through the Independent Curators International's Curatorial Intensive in 2012 and her Masters at Wits in curatorial practice, also helped me in my curatorial practice. It is by working with artists, such as Andrew Shabangu, a renowned photographer, through marketing people like Charles Nkosi, Esther Mahlangu, Andile Dyalvane, our VUT staff members like Ephia Mmbidi. Not only that, promoting our current students and alumni such as Ivy Rihlampfu, Tlangi Holeni, Xolani Malindi and many more who are practising in the field that has contributed to my success. And, of course, the passion I have for art," she said.

Not only is she making a significant impression abroad, Khumalo also promotes the world arts among disadvantaged communities and schools in South Africa as part of arts upliftment projects and at our South African FNB Art fair, one of the most prestigious art shows in the country.