Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi was formerly curator of African art at the Cleveland Museum of Art as well as at Dartmouth College’s Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, New Hampshire. Nzewi has curated major international exhibitions including the Dakar Biennale, Senegal, in 2014, and he served on the curatorial team for the 11th Shanghai Biennale in 2016–17.
He has lectured and given talks at academic institutions and museums around the world. His recent publications include Emeka Ogboh: Lagos Soundscapes (2019). Nzewi holds a PhD in art history from Emory University; a postgraduate diploma in museum and heritage studies from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa; and a BA in fine and applied arts from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. As an artist, he has participated in international artists’ residencies and workshops in Africa, Europe, and the United States. He has exhibited internationally and is represented in public and private collections including the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC, and Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey.