Adjunct Curator, Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational (Africa & African Diaspora)

Reference: TG2414

Location: London – Tate Modern, Bankside

Closing date:15 July 2019 at midnight

Tate is seeking to engage an experienced curator or researcher of modern and contemporary international art with in-depth knowledge of art from Africa and African Diaspora, to be an Adjunct Curator for the Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational. The Adjunct Curator provides expertise while remaining within Africa and carrying out research for Tate.

The Adjunct Curator will position Africa at the heart of this role and be able to connect the current practices of the continent to diaspora practice across the world. The focus could include the triangle of East Africa/ South Asia/ UK, and Black Atlantic discourse and more general areas of displacement, migration and colonial legacies.

The Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational promotes new ways of interpreting and presenting art through the framework of ‘transnational’; a way of understanding and curating art that encourages the idea that art and its histories are interconnected beyond its country of origin. Integrated within Tate’s curatorial vision, the Centre’s work is manifested in our exhibitions, new acquisitions and collection displays as well as in academic outcomes and public programme. For more information please visit: https://www.tate.org.uk/research/research-centres/hyundai-tate-research-centre-transnational

The Adjunct Curator will work closely and in a collaborative way with colleagues in the Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational, and within the Curatorial department at Tate Modern. The research will support Tate’s exhibition programme and contribute to the development of the strategy for representing the art of Africa and the African Diaspora.

You will be an experienced curator or specialist with an in-depth knowledge of modern and contemporary international art, with a specialism in the art of Africa and the African Diaspora. A track record of publication and research, an established network of contacts and an understanding of the issues surrounding collecting modern and contemporary art for museums are expected. You will also be a first-class communicator who can write for a variety of audiences.

To fulfil this brief you will need:

• Expert knowledge and practical and scholarly involvement in modern and contemporary art of Africa and African Diaspora
• A track record of publication and research and demonstrable knowledge of the field
• An established network of contacts, an understanding of the issues surrounding collecting modern and contemporary art for museums and a knowledge of the current scholarly discourse are essential
• Excellent research and writing skills in English, including the capacity to write authoritative texts for specialist readership as well as accessible texts for the general public
• Ideally fluent speaking and academic-standard writing skills in the language of your area of expertise
• Demonstrable excellence in verbal communication and presentation and the ability to represent Tate externally
• Ideally based in Africa

The freelance contract will be for 2 years and will attract a fee of £20,000 per annum. The time spent on the work is flexible although will likely require three days per week