Elvira Dyangani Ose facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elvira Dyangani
Dyangani speaking at TEOR/éTica in 2019
Born	Elvira Dyangani Ose 1974 (age 51–52) Córdoba, Spain
Occupation	Art curator

Elvira Dyangani Ose, born in 1974, is a Spanish art curator. She is currently the director of the MACBA Contemporary Art Museum in Barcelona. A curator is someone who chooses and organizes artworks for exhibitions in museums or galleries.

Elvira's family is from Equatorial Guinea, but she was born and grew up in Spain. Before joining MACBA, she was the director and chief curator at The Showroom gallery in London from 2018 to 2021.

Elvira's Early Life and Learning

Elvira Dyangani Ose studied Art History at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. While she was a student in Barcelona, one of her teachers encouraged her to show art. In the 1990s, she started creating small, temporary art shows with her friends. These shows featured young artists who were working outside of the usual art world.

Later, Elvira continued her studies. She earned a special diploma in the history and theory of architecture from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona. She also became a doctoral candidate in Art History and Visual Studies at Cornell University. This means she was working towards her highest degree in art studies.

Elvira's Career in Art

Elvira Dyangani Ose has had an exciting career working with art and artists around the world.

Early Curator Roles

From 2004 to 2006, Elvira worked as a curator at the Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno. In 2006, she organized an exhibition called Olvida Quien Soy/ Erase Me From Who I Am. This show featured works by artists like Nicholas Hlobo and Zanele Muholi. It explored important ideas about how people are shown in art. She also curated projects for other artists, including Alfredo Jaar.

From 2006 to 2008, Elvira was a curator at the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo. During this time, she also led a project called Attempt to Exhaust an African Place. This project brought together different types of art and ideas.

International Projects and Tate Modern

From 2009 to 2010, Elvira Dyangani Ose curated a project called Arte Invisible. In 2010, she also organized an exhibition for artist Carrie Mae Weems. She was also a guest curator for the triennial SUD-Salon Urbain de Douala, which is a big art event.

In 2011, Elvira joined the Tate museum in London. There, she worked closely with a special committee that helped the museum buy art from Africa and the African Diaspora. The African Diaspora refers to people of African descent living outside of Africa. This important role was supported by the Guaranty Trust Bank from Nigeria.

From 2012 to 2014, Elvira was in charge of a project called Across the Board. This project connected different art forms and ideas across cities like London, Accra, Douala, and Lagos. She also helped organize an exhibition in 2013 for artist Ibrahim al-Salahi. In 2013, she was also the Artistic Director for an art event called Rencontres Picha.

On June 28, 2014, Elvira Dyangani Ose was chosen to be the curator for the eighth Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art (GIBCA). This is a large art exhibition that happens every two years.

In 2016, Elvira was part of a group that chose Stan Douglas to receive a major photography award, the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography.

On February 10, 2017, Elvira Dyangani Ose was named Senior Curator at Creative Time. This organization supports public art projects.

In 2024, Elvira worked with artist Goshka Macuga on an event called Tales & Tellers. This event was part of Art Basel Paris, a big art fair.

Leading The Showroom Gallery

From 2018 to 2021, Elvira Dyangani Ose was the director and chief curator at The Showroom gallery in London. In this role, she was in charge of the gallery's overall artistic program.

In 2018, Elvira was part of the group that nominated Ruangrupa to be the artistic director of Documenta fifteen. Documenta is one of the most important art exhibitions in the world. She also served on the juries that awarded the Turner Prize in 2019 and the Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award in 2019 and 2021.

Director of MACBA

Elvira Dyangani Ose became the director of MACBA, the Contemporary Art Museum in Barcelona, in 2021. As director, she leads the entire museum, guiding its vision and exhibitions.

Talks and Writings

Elvira Dyangani Ose has given many talks about modern and contemporary African art. Her writings have also been published in art magazines like Nka and Atlántica.

See also

In Spanish: Elvira Dyangani Ose para niños