Maria Fidel Regueros
Director
maria@bagfactoryart.org.za
About Maria
As an Independent Curator, Lecturer, Researcher and Project Manager and a mother of two incredible teenagers, Maria has been involved in numerous creative projects in both South Africa and abroad.
Within South Africa’s creative industry in general and the visual arts sector in particular, Maria has occupied various positions within Municipal and Tertiary Institutions, and Non-profit Organisations. Within these entities her roles have focused on strategic development, content research, project and organisational development, curatorial exhibition projects, educational content and audience development strategies within small, medium to large scale projects.
Between 2011 – 2020, Maria founded and co-directed the arts organisation /project space ROOM Space & Projects NPC, in Johannesburg. ROOM focused on the presentation of works by young career South African and regional artists and training of Arts Administrators/Curators. Since late 2022, she has held the position of Director at the iconic visual arts institution Bag Factory Artists’ Studios, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Her Colombian/Bulgarian background combined with her residing in the Southern African region since the late 80s and in South Africa since 2000, have shaped her commitment and focus on South Africa and Global South issues. Her passion for the development of the creative industries, and visual arts in particular resonate in her professional involvements and practice.
Maria is an Alumni of Wits University and the International Curators Intensive (ICI) Network (USA) and De Appel’s Gallerist Programme (Netherlands). Currently, Maria is completing her MBA at Henley Business School’s Africa Campus in Johannesburg.
About Nala
Xaba is a curator, writer-researcher and public programmer from Johannesburg, with over eight years' experience working with museums and galleries; social justice organisations; public archives; publishers and media houses. Research and curatorial work have focused on the politics of story-telling, collective memory and belief, embodied knowledge systems and how these relate to the history of social movements.
She holds a Master of Arts in Postcolonial Culture and Global Policy with distinction from Goldsmiths College, University of London (2019), and a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Curatorship, First Class from the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town (2015). She also earned a Bachelor of Commerce in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Cape Town (2014).
Currently, she serves as the Programmes Manager at Bag Factory Artists' Studios, overseeing programme development, local fundraising, and day-to-day operations. Previous posts include Associate at Stevenson, Art & Production Coordinator at The Forge and Editorial Coordinator at Chimurenga, among others.
She was awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship in 2017, which supported her postgraduate studies. She was selected as a Live Art Fellow at the Institute of Creative Arts in 2016 and the inaugural Curatorial Research Resident at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow the same year. Additionally, she has been an Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Association Fellow since 2016 and an active member of the Golden Key Society since 2011.
Her work is driven by a vision of strengthening political solidarities through the arts by fostering inclusive, engaged communities. In addition to her research and curatorial work, she pursues this vision through contributions as a speaker, panelist, and workshop facilitator at various national and international events, furthering dialogues on critical issues within the arts.
Nala Xaba
Programmes Manager
nala@bagfactoryart.org.za
Zinhle Zwane
Communications Coordinator & Artist Liaison
About Zinhle
Zinhle Zwane is a dynamic Communications Coordinator with a strong background in the art industry.
With extensive experience in communication strategy formation, PR, and social media management, she has successfully led campaigns that significantly boosted brand interaction and audience engagement.
Currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Zinhle holds is in the process of completing her Honours in History of Art from the University of Witswatersrand and has a qualification in Fine Art from the University of Johannesburg.