Born in Tzaneen and raised in Johannesburg, Dr Portia Malatjie has become one of South Africa’s most compelling voices in contemporary art discourse. A PhD graduate from Goldsmiths, University of London, she is a senior lecturer in Art History and Discourse of Art at UCT’s Michaelis School of Fine Art and an adjunct curator at Tate Modern’s Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational. Dr Portia’s curatorial practice is deeply rooted in reimagining African art histories and amplifying voices that have long been erased from the narrative. Her acclaimed exhibitions — including “When Rain Clouds Gather: Black South African Women Artists, 1940–2000” and “Quiet Ground” at the 60th Venice Biennale (2024) — have rede ned how audiences engage with the artistic legacies of Black women. Her work bridges scholarship, spirituality, and sensory experience, exploring themes of sound, ecology, and Black feminist thought. Beyond the gallery, Dr Portia is a mentor, inspiring the next generation of artists and scholars, a researcher, and a global thought leader, having delivered talks at institutions such as Yale, Oxford, and the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute. Honoured with numerous awards  — including the UCT College of Fellows Young Researcher Award (2023) — she continues to challenge how art is taught, curated, and remembered. Her guiding philosophy? “Maintain healthy boundaries. Rest. Once you have a vision, pursue only what brings you closer to it.”

QUALIFICATIONS

• PhD. Goldsmiths, University of London, Department of Visual Cultures
• MA, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, History of Art 
• BA, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Wits School of Art (Fine Art) 

ACHIEVEMENTS

I am a multidisciplinary practitioner, and there are different aspects of my work that I am proud of, including positions I have held, exhibitions I have curated, programmes I convene, awards I have received, and public talks I have given.

Positions
Adjunct Curator, Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational, Tate Modern, London (2019–2025)

• Exhibitions
  Quiet Ground, South African Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2024)
  Ecologies of Elsewhere, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati (Co-curator) (2023)
  When Rain Clouds Gather: Black South African Women Artists, 1940–2000, Norval Foundation, Cape Town (Co-curator) (2022–2023) Batlhaping Ba Re!: Mmakgabo Mapula Helen Sebidi, Norval Foundation, Cape Town (2018–2019)
• Programmes
  Joint Curriculum — a seminar-based social responsiveness programme that facilitates a communal exchange of artistic and curatorial knowledge.
• Awards
  Visiting Fellow, Department of the History of Art, Yale University (2023) 
• UCT College of Fellows Young Researcher Award (2023) 
• NRF Black Academic Advancement Programme Fellow (2022)
•  African Humanities Fellowship, American Council of Learned Societies (2021)

I have also had the pleasure of giving talks at institutions across the world, including the University of Oxford (Oxford, UK), Tate Modern (London, UK), Yale University (New Haven, USA), the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (Nairobi, Kenya), Makerere University (Kampala, Uganda), the University of Ghana (Accra, Ghana), and the Institut national d’histoire de l’art (Paris, France).