The Iwalewahaus at the University of Bayreuth has new leadership: Dr. Xenia Ressos has been entrusted with the management since May 2025, while Prof. Dr. Natasha A. Kelly took over as artistic director in October. With this first dual leadership team, the institution is realigning itself organisationally and programmatically. Both leaders bring distinctive professional expertise to their respective areas of responsibility.
Art historian Dr. Xenia Ressos, who comes from the University of Innsbruck, heads the management of the institution and is responsible for organisational management and development. Her current focus is primarily on the reorganisation and cataloguing of the more than 15,000 works housed in the institution's extensive depots. "The Iwalewahaus holds the largest collection of modern and contemporary art from Africa and the African diaspora anywhere in Europe. Major museums around the world borrow our works for special exhibitions, including the MoMa in New York, the Tate Modern in London and the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art in Cape Town. Many people here in the region are unaware of the treasures right on their doorstep – and we want to change that." The visibility and appeal of the Iwalewahaus are to be strengthened by further developing the collection strategy, creating a new digital presence and expanding both regional and international cooperation.
Prof. Dr. Natasha A. Kelly has come to Bayreuth in a dual role. She has taken over as artistic director of the Iwalewahaus and at the same time assumed Germany's first professorship for Global African Arts. The communication scientist, curator, artist and bestselling author has presented her multimedia works at venues including the Berlin Biennale, the German Historical Museum and Carnegie Hall in New York. As a founding member of the international collective Black Speculative Arts Movement (BSAM) and co-director of the Black European Academic Network (BEAN), she has been shaping the Afro-diaspora art and cultural landscape for years, both theoretically and practically.
In Bayreuth, Kelly is not only responsible for the artistic direction of the institution, but also for the content of a transformation process that is repositioning the Iwalewahaus and consistently expanding it to include African and Afro-diasporic perspectives. "Taking on this position is a significant milestone for me," she says. Her duties in Bayreuth combine the topics closest to her heart: creating, curating and researching art. "The fact that the Iwalewahaus is an international research institute with a museum character makes the work here in Bayreuth something very special," Kelly emphasises. The conditions for the work of the motivated dual leadership team are excellent. "We want to bring the Iwalewahaus into the 21st century together," says Ressos. She sees the Iwalewahaus as a national flagship project for transcultural dialogue.
Plans are currently underway for events in the coming year. In the first week of February, the Iwalewahaus will become a place of learning and remembrance to mark the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. Together with students, Prof. Dr. Kelly is developing an exhibition with an accompanying programme, to which school classes are also warmly invited.
