Tate Modern appoints curators specialising in African, Middle Eastern and South Asian art

Tate Modern has announced recent appointments to its curatorial team which will continue the pioneering research and scholarship already undertaken in the fields of African, Middle Eastern and South Asian modern and contemporary art. Frances Morris, Tate Modern Director, said: “We are delighted to appoint Nabila, Osei, Valentina and Devika as Curators at Tate Modern. Their significant experience and expertise will play an important part in expanding our knowledge of modern and contemporary art from Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, furthering our ambition to present a truly international story of art through our programme and collection”.

These appointments form part of Tate’s ongoing strategy to explore multiple art histories from a global perspective. Over the past two decades, Tate’s collection, displays and exhibitions have focused on expanding beyond Europe and North America and have played an essential role in reassessing and reframing art historical narratives. In 2018/19, 348 works were added to Tate’s international collection, mapping the dialogue and exchange of ideas between artists working across the world. Acquisition highlights in recent years include Tarek Atoui’s The Reverse Collection (2016), Amar Kanwar’s The Lightning Testimonies (2007) and Otobong Nkanga’s Wetin You Go Do? (2015).

These curators are:

Nabila Abdel Nabi, Curator, International Art

Nabila Abdel Nabi joins Tate after working as an Associate Curator at The Power Plant, Toronto, and prior to this as Gallery Manager (Exhibitions) in The Third Line, Dubai. Nabila has worked on solo exhibitions and facilitated new commissions by artists including Abbas Akhavan, Kader Attia, Omar Ba and Amalia Pica, among others. She has curated the forthcoming Hajra Waheed exhibition Hold Everything Dear at The Power Plant, Toronto and was previously Art Editor at literary magazine The Point. Nabila holds an MA History of Art from The Courtauld Institute of Art.

Osei Bonsu, Curator, International Art

Osei Bonsu is a curator, critic and art historian who has developed projects focused on transnational histories of art, collaborating with museums, galleries and private collections internationally. He curated the 10th edition of Satellites, The Economy of Living Things, 2017, an exhibition co-commissioned by Jeu de Paume and CAPC: Centre for Contemporary Art, Bordeaux, and has worked on a number of projects focusing on African art. Osei has contributed to exhibition catalogues and publications including ArtReview, New African and NKA Journal of Contemporary African Art, and was an acting contributing editor to frieze. He holds an MA History of Art from University College London.

Valentina Ravaglia, Curator, Displays & International Art

Since 2012, Valentina Ravaglia held the position of Assistant Curator at Tate Modern with a focus on collection displays, playing a vital role in the preparation of the 2015-16 rehang as well as the opening of the new Tate Modern in 2016. She has distinguished herself as a champion of the diversification of the displays, particularly in relation to gender and political activism, with rooms dedicated to Andrea Fraser, Women and Work, Judi Werthein, Feminism and Media, and Rebecca Horn. Valentina supported on the Hyundai Commission: Superflex One Two Three Swing! and is Assistant Curator on the upcoming Nam June Paik exhibition. She is currently undertaking a PhD from Birkbeck, University of London, and was previously awarded an MFA Curating from Goldsmiths.

Dr Devika Singh, Curator, International Art

Devika Singh specialises in modern and contemporary art and architecture in South Asia and the global history of modernism. She has curated exhibitions including Planetary Planning, Dhaka Art Summit (2018) and Gedney in India, CSMVS, Mumbai (2017). She has also curated the forthcoming exhibition Homelands: Art from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge. Devika has written widely on modern and contemporary art for publications. Devika holds an MA from The Courtauld Institute of Art and a PHD from the University of Cambridge and has held fellowships with DFK, Paris, and the Smuts Research Fellowship at the Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge.