Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi

Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi is an artist, art historian, and Curator of African art at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Previously, he served as the curator of African art and also oversaw global contemporary art at Dartmouth College’s Hood Museum of Art. He has co-curated major international exhibitions including the Dak’Art Biennale in Dakar, Senegal, in 2014; served on the curatorial team of the 11th Shanghai Biennale in 2016–17; and collaborated with the Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain de la Région Centre (FRANC) Orlean, France, for its inaugural architecture biennale in October 2017. Nzewi has lectured widely and given talks at academic institutions and museums in Europe, Africa, and the United States. His writing has appeared in important academic journals and art magazines. His recent book is the co-edited volume New Spaces for Negotiating Art (and) History in Africa, 2015. He holds a PhD in Art History from Emory University; a postgraduate diploma in Museum and Heritage Studies from the University of Western Cape, South Africa; and a BA in Fine and Applied arts from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. As an artist, Nzewi has participated in major artists’ residencies and workshops such as the Art Omi (2007); exhibited internationally; and is represented in public and private collections.