team

Basak Senova (based in Vienna), the project leader of The Atlas, is a curator and designer. She studied Literature and Graphic Design (MFA in Graphic Design and Ph.D. in Art, Design, and Architecture at Bilkent University) and attended the 7th Curatorial Training Programme of Stichting De Appel, Amsterdam. In 2017, she received her Associate Professorship from the Higher Education Council of Turkey. Currently, she holds a Senior Postdoctoral Researcher position at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Şenova has edited numerous books and served as a board member of several international publications. She has curated numerous biennials and exhibitions, including 2009: Pavilion of Turkey, Venice Biennale; 2015: Pavilion of North Macedonia, Venice Biennale; 2013: 2nd Biennial of Contemporary Art D-0 ARK Underground, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 2014: Helsinki Photography Biennial: Ecological Fallacy; 2014: The Jerusalem Show VII: Fractures; 2019: 5th Biennial of Contemporary Art D-0 ARK Underground, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 2019: Climbing Through the Tide, inaugural exhibition of B7L9, Tunis; 2018–2020: CrossSections Project; seven exhibitions (CrossSections Triology, KEX | WUK, _perspectives Konstfack, Stockholm, _notes, ExLab, KUVA, Helsinki; 2019, Shadow Optics. Lina Selander, Kunsthaus Wien (Vienna) Atelier. Egle Oddo. MACRO Asilo (Rome); 2020–2022: The Octopus Programme: B7L9, Tunis and AIL – Otto Wagner-Postsparkasse, Vienna. In 2022, she curated three group exhibitions: Ivy (Istanbul), Liquid Saturation (BAM, Palermo), and 2Fold (Kyrenia); in 2023, a design project for Kunsthaus Dahlem, Berlin, and the group exhibition Simurgh. Ten Women Artists from Iran at Galerie Crone, Berlin; in 2024, Sediment (co-curated with Dicle Bestas) at Rotor Galerie, Graz; and in 2025, The Atlas at Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna, Intangible at Rauminhalt, Vienna, and the Mirror/Specchio project (co-curated with Jonatan Habib Engqvist) in the framework of Agrigento Capitale Italiana Della Cultura 2025 at Teatro Pirandello, Agrigento, with further chapters in eight European cities in 2026. Since 2017, she has been living and working in Vienna. She is a founding member of the ZoNE and a corresponding member of the Wiener Secession.

She co-curates the “Soil & Water” project with Johan Thom and is the curator of “Soil & Water—Mediterranean Crossing”.

Johan Thom is a South African artist, academic and curator who currently works as an Associate Professor at the University of Pretoria. His work is process-driven and explores materiality as a performative framework. Solo exhibitions by Thom include the Johannesburg Art Gallery (2008), Iwalewahaus (2010), Nirox Foundation and Sculpture Park (2024), the Goodman Gallery (Johannesburg, 2015) and Kalashnikovv Gallery (2023). Group exhibitions include the Canary Islands Biennale (2006), the Palazzo delle Papesse (2008) and many others. He has participated in conferences, workshops and artistic programmes at the Venice Biennale (2003, 2005), the University of Cambridge (2009), the Slade School of Fine Art (2010/11/12), Documenta 13 (2012), the University of Pretoria (2013/14/15 & 2021), “The Octopus Programme” (2020–22, University of Applied Arts Vienna), the African Centre for the Study of the United States (2022, IDSVA, Wits, UP, Nirox), “A Research of Doing” (2021–23, University of Applied Arts Vienna, The Centre For the Less Good Idea and UP), “Listening at The Edge” (2022–23, Pro Helvetia), and elsewhere. Most recently in 2025, he was invited as a visiting professor in Visual Art and Expanded Cinema at IUAV Faculty of Art and Design in Venice.

He co-curates the “Soil & Water” project with Basak Senova and is the curator of “Soil & Water—Kigali Crossing”.

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NIROX

Benji Liebmann (NIROX Founder & Director) is the founder and director of NIROX, a cross-disciplinary non-profit arts foundation, including an artists’ residency and sculpture park. Liebmann lives and works in the Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

Tristin Roland (NIROX — On-site production and coordinator) is the resident curator at the NIROX Foundation and the Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture. He is the contact person for the Soil and Water program at NIROX, where he is responsible for coordinating artist residencies, as well as managing the fabrication and installation of artworks. His role includes working directly with artists to plan and execute their projects, overseeing production logistics, and ensuring that installations are completed on time and to specification. He also supports the ongoing curatorial and operational needs of both NIROX and the Villa-Legodi Centre.

Sven Christian (Project Coordinator of “Soil & Water—Kigali Crossing”) is a writer, editor, and curator. He served as Curator of NIROX Sculpture Park and the Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture (Johannesburg, South Africa) between February 2022 and May 2025, before shifting into an adjunct role to pursue his own research interests. Prior to that, he served as Editor of Museum Publications and Assistant Curator at Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA, 2017–18), as well as Assistant Editor at ART AFRICA magazine (2015–17) and founder of Ism-Skism (2013–14). Sven is the editor of FORM Journal (Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture / University of Johannesburg Press), and a number of books and artist monographs, among them Johan Thom: Grasp (2025); Walter Oltmann: In Time (2024); and Ashraf Jamal’s Strange Cargo: Essays on Art (2022). He is also co-editor of Bruce Murray Arnott: Into the Megatext (2023); Coral Bijoux’s Dreams as R-evolution (2020); and William Kentridge’s Why Should I Hesitate: Putting Drawings to Work (2019). His writing has been published by Routledge, Phaidon, OnCurating, The Garage Journal, Ellipses: Journal of Creative Research, and The Thinker, amongst others. He holds an MA in Contemporary Curatorial Practices (University of the Witwatersrand, 2020) and a Bachelor of Fine Art (Rhodes University, 2011).

Zanele Mashini (NIROX — On-site production assistant and coordinator)

Leroy Croft (NIROX — Events coordinator)

Tammy du Toit (NIROX — Administration & Finances)

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Seretse Moletsane (NIROX — On-site Production of “Soil & Water—Kigali Crossing”) is a multi-disciplinary artist and curator at MAPSA, Modern Art Projects South Africa, since 2018. Seretse’s work is conceptually rooted in intuitive art and in tapping into the mundane, spirituality, and ancestry. He works in the medium of photography, printmaking, painting and drawing. He obtained his B-tech degree in Fine and Applied Arts from Tshwane University of Technology in 2008, with Printmaking and Painting as subjects. He was also a participant in the first MTN Young Curators Program in 2002.

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University of Pretoria

Genre Pretorius is a Pretoria-based curator, event manager, part-time lecturer and administrative artist assistant with a background in contemporary, commercial and residential art installation and sales. Pretorius completed her Master’s in Fine Arts (Curatorial Practice) at the University of Pretoria in 2024, with a focus on the digital display of artworks and on creating present and immersive experiences in virtual environments. Pretorius managed the University of Pretoria Student and Link Galleries from 2021 to 2023, working on over 30 internal and external exhibitions both on and off campus. She curated many projects, including Magubane’s South Africa (2023), Nirox Open Labs II – Good Neighbours (2022), United Nations World Refugee Day Exhibition (2022) and Attached to the Soil (2022).

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Soil & Water Dialogues

Ithateng Mogoro is an independent, multi-disciplinary communications consultant. Since 2010, he has been a co-curator of various TEDx events, including TEDxJohannesburg. In that role, he has worked with innovators across disciplines, curating discussions on technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, politics, leadership, art, agriculture, climate change, health, and the food system, among others. He started his career as an art director at the Johannesburg office of the advertising agency Leo Burnett in 1997. He went on to work in various creative roles for several communication agencies, including Brand Union, Coke Lounge, and DraftFCB. He is also proud to have co-founded the Mandela Poster Project, a global design initiative.

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Visual Identity & Design

TECHIZART Istanbul is a multi-media production company, specialised in the fields of arts, design and technology. Based in Istanbul, Techizart operates worldwide by supporting international galleries, museums, and artists in planning and implementing projects, installing exhibitions, and applying spatial designs for performances, as well as presenting artworks that understand their conceptual content and technical requirements. Techizart offers engineering expertise across all disciplines, delivering detailed planning and budgeting with custom, innovative solutions.