SHOWING UP

Nestled in the leafy suburb of Randburg in Johannesburg, Gallery MOMO is a living chronicle of Black creative expression, strategy and cultural stewardship.

Since opening its doors in 2003 under the directorship of Monna Mokoena, MOMO has been a vanguard gallery: Black-owned and globally engaged, it is an organisation fiercely committed to shaping the trajectory of contemporary African art.

“From the beginning it wasn’t just about selling art,” says Odysseus Shirindza, the gallery’s current director. “It was about representation, creating a home for artists who were often overlooked, and showing them not just here in Johannesburg, but to the world.” That’s exactly what it has done. When Gallery MOMO opened, the South African art world was still grappling with transformation, equity and inclusion. As one of the first Black-owned galleries with international ambitions, Gallery MOMO disrupted a space that was much in need of reform.

“The early years were about breaking barriers,” says Shirindza. “We were representing artists who had often been told that they didn’t belong in those spaces, and putting them in international exhibitions such as Expo Chicago, the Armory and 1-54.”

From showing the estate of the late Dumile Feni (an anchor of resistance-era modernism) to giving a platform to the genre-bending digital surrealism of Mary Sibande, MOMO has balanced reverence with risk, heritage with flair. It’s a kind of curatorial double consciousness of honouring the past while imagining the future.

AS ONE OF THE FIRST BLACK-OWNED GALLERIES, MOMO DISRUPTED A SPACE MUCH IN NEED OF REFORM

A cornerstone of the gallery’s legacy is its residency programme which has been nurturing talent since 2006. The self-funded residency serves as an incubator for artists and thinkers across Africa, providing a space for three artists at any one time. “It’s a platform for mentorship, critical dialogue and often a career pivot for artists,” says Shirindza.

Above: the purpose of Gallery MOMO, says its current director Odysseus Shirindza, is to be a home for artists such as photographer Andrew Tshabangu, showing their work ‘not just here in Johannesburg, but to the world’

“We’ve had artists come in one way and leave transformed. That’s impact you don’t always see in headlines, but you feel it in the work.” Gallery MOMO is no stranger to the world stage. With consistent participation in global fairs such as Expo Chicago, FNB Art Joburg and 1-54, the gallery acts as a conduit between African artistic voices and the global audience which is hungry for authentic narratives. “Our booth at an international fair is like a thesis,” says Shirindza. “Every curatorial decision is intentional. We’re educating collectors, yes, but we’re also challenging their assumptions.” The gallery’s skill in translating local meaning into global relevance is a lesson in successful curatorial diplomacy.

The gallery is imagining its next chapter as a space dedicated to championing the arts in Africa as it sets out to undergo a major architectural redesign in 2025. “Art spaces are platforms, they’re networks,” says Shirindza. “We’re continuing exhibitions, residencies and collaborations even during the redesign. The mission doesn’t rest.”

The artwork at Johannesburg’s Gallery MOMO balances reverence with risk, heritage with flair. Artist Phoko Nyokong used his 2024 exhibition ‘Confrontation’ to explore how identity and culture are negotiated within South Africa’s socio-political landscape

That mission of amplifying Black voices, challenging curatorial norms and building community extends well beyond the gallery’s walls. MOMO’s collaborations – from the ABSA L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award to its Women’s Month held in early 2025 – underline a commitment to cultural work that is timely, intersectional and unapologetically African.

“Being a gallery in today’s world means that we are part of the broader ecosystem of cultural education and public discourse,” says Shirindza. “Representation is still a battle,” he says, “but we’ve been in the trenches long enough to know how to fight it with strategy and soul.”

From navigating the numerous bureaucratic hurdles of representing artists across Africa to confronting market gatekeepers abroad, Gallery MOMO continues to push against the grain. As the organisation enters its next chapter, Shirindza remains fixed on a vision that is both expansive and precise: “We really want people to remember us not only for the shows we put on, but for the ways we showed up: for artists, for audiences, for culture.”

Takudzwa Nyambi

Gallery MOMO, 52 7th Avenue,
Parktown North, Johannesburg 2193.
Call: +27 113 273 247
Visit: www.gallerymomo.com
IG: @gallerymomo