riason-naidoo

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Riason Naidoo

Riason Naidoo is an independent curator, writer, researcher and artist. He lived in Paris from 2018-2023, where he curated: the public art project "neuf-3" (2021-2023) in the suburb of Saint-Denis. Naidoo directed the South African National Gallery for six years (2009-2015). He is currently a Mellon Turning the Tide Doctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA), University of Cape Town.

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Coming home

In 1991, acclaimed South African artist Helen Sebidi’s artworks were presumed stolen in Sweden. Three decades later, a caretaker at the residential college where they disappeared found them in a ceiling cupboard, still in their original packaging.

The lesson of the turtle and the dove

The South African musician known as Madosini passed away in 2022. She was one of the last of a generation who learnt to play traditional Xhosa instruments, in so doing sharing the spirituality, dignity, and joy of Xhosa culture through her inimitable song.