Cape Town - Iziko Museums of South Africa has announced the temporary closure of the Iziko South African National Gallery (ISANG).
ISANG will close from May 23, 2022, for four months and will reopen on Heritage Day, September 24, 2022.
Located in the Company’s Garden, Cape Town, ISANG houses an extensive collection of works of art and sculptures.
Iziko Museums of South Africa operates 11 national museums, the Planetarium and Digital Dome, the Social History Centre and three collection-specific libraries in Cape Town.
Iziko Museums CEO Rooksana Omar said the brief pause will provide an opportunity to restore, refurbish and re-purpose existing facilities to improve exhibition halls, increase collections storage areas, as well as upgrade conservation and digitisation facilities.
“One of Iziko Museums’ most important mandates is that we be dynamic and active, constantly able to evolve, be reflective and self-reflective. We have listened, and we want to take this time to rejuvenate the ISANG with the aim of sharing the diverse stories we hold in our collections with the people of South Africa and the rest of the world.”
A celebratory show, “Breaking Down the Walls: A celebration of 150 years of the ISANG”, will reopen the museum during Heritage Week 2022.
Executive director: core functions, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Dr Bongani Ndhlovu, said the temporary closure is the first step and a catalyst towards achieving its multi-year reimagining project.
“While the reimagination of all of our sites is a long-term priority for Iziko, during this temporary closure, the curatorial, collections, educational and operation teams will reset the ISANG toward creating multi-purpose, family friendly, culturally safe and respectful spaces that are able to accommodate exhibitions, public programmes, events, and functions, while supporting collaborative research, and curatorial and collection care needs.”