Zeitz MOCAA presents ‘A: Black Consciousness of Spacetime’ by Nolan Oswald Dennis at FNB Art Joburg

Zeitz MOCAA is hosting a presentation by Nolan Oswald Dennis, titled A: Black Consciousness of Spacetime, at FNB Art Joburg from September 3 to 6, 2026. This exhibition revisits the artist's UNDERSTUDIES (2024–2025), which was his first major South African museum solo exhibition. The exhibition examines Dennis’s practice as a rethinking of space as a relational and transforming field shaped by various frameworks. Key works featured are Xenolith (Letsema) (2024), which involved collaborative creation with museum staff, and Soft Rock (leNqaba yoMkhosi) (2024), developed in collaboration with Vusumzi Nkomo. The presentation also includes the launch of ECLIPTICS, a monograph on Dennis’s work. The event will feature wider programming in Johannesburg, including conversations about Ubuntu in law and art and politics, and discussions on collective knowledge-making through the creation of works like Xenolith (Letsema).

The structure of the presentation deliberately frames artistic practice through philosophical and political lenses—geo-cosmic epistemologies and the social history embedded in terms like Xenolith (voluntarily working together). The shift from documenting physical outputs to analyzing the relational field of space suggests an intent to embed critique within the materiality of art. The engagement strategy moves beyond mere exhibition display by linking the artistic practice directly to institutional history, collective labour (via Setswana terminology), and political philosophy (Ubuntu). The activation in Johannesburg, featuring high-profile figures like Albie Sachs and discussions on knowledge-making, positions the event not just as an art showcase but as a nexus for continental dialogue regarding space, power, and epistemology. The implicit pattern is that complex systems—whether geological or social—can be understood through relational frameworks, suggesting that challenging established boundaries requires acknowledging interconnectedness across material and political dimensions. The implication rests on whether these discussions translate into tangible shifts in institutional practice and public consciousness beyond the immediate event cycle.