It has been announced that the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa — commonly referred to as ‘Zeitz MOCAA’ — will open on Cape Town’s V&A waterfront on september 22, 2017. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick’s London-based studio, the institution will form the world’s largest museum dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. Carved out of a historic grain silo complex, which has been disused since 1990, the museum has been designed to stand as a monument to the city’s industrial past.
Heatherwick describes the space as being "like a vaulted cathedral",
Heatherwick describes the space as being "like a vaulted cathedral",
"We were interested in how we could give a heart to the building. It was quite clear that the tubes were pretty rubbish for showing art in, so [the challenge] was how we could retain the spirit of this tubularity but also give functionality, to create an A-grade gallery space."
Thomas Heatherwick has created South Africa's biggest art museum – by hollowing out the inside of a historic grain silo building. Described by the British architect as "the world's tubiest building", the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, or Zeitz MOCAA, is set to become the world's most important exhibition space for African art.
