Decolonial Aesthetics of Blackness in Contemporary Art

Zingisa Nkosinkulu is an artist, art historian, visual-sonic essayist and curator from the Eastern Cape Mdantsane, South Africa. He holds a Ph.D. in Art History (UNISA) and has lectured at UNISA and Tshwane University of Technology. Nkosinkulu is currently a lecturer at Walter Sisulu University. His work blends decolonial art, Xhosa tradition, and writing, aiming to inspire creativity, education, and consciousness. Nkosinkulu’s research and practice focus on contemporary African art, black radical tradition, decolonial aesthetics, and black existentialism. He explores the intersection of art and history, examining how art reshapes our understanding of the black experience. Influenced by artists like Mary Sibande and thinkers such as Fanon and Édouard Glissant, he is committed to decolonizing art history and aesthetics. As the founder of Art Curate Afrika (ACA), with experience in Visual Art and Project Management since 2007, Nkosinkulu has curated four solo exhibitions at the Grahamstown Arts Festival and Unisa Art Gallery, Pretoria. As the founder of Art Curate Afrika (ACA), with experience in Visual Art and Project Management since 2007, Nkosinkulu has curated four solo exhibitions at the Grahamstown Arts Festival and Unisa Art Gallery, Pretoria. Notably, he also co-curated CLOSE, a contemporary art exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) from 24 May – 24 June 2018. This exhibition was presented by !Kauru Contemporary African Art and curated by Zingisa Nkosinkulu (South Africa), Violet Nantume (Uganda), and Nyambura M. Waruingi (Kenya).