Puleng Plessie

Biography

Puleng Plessie is the Curator of Education and Public Programmes at Javett-UP, where her practice bridges curatorship, art education, academic research, and community engagement. She holds a master’s degree in fine art from the University of Witwatersrand (2017) and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Johannesburg. Her doctoral research develops a theory of "critical pedagogical curation" through the practices of African curators.

Plessie is an active member of the Johannesburg Working Group of the Another Roadmap Africa Cluster (ARAC), an international network dedicated to critical arts education in Africa. She has presented her research at conferences in São Paulo, Vienna, Maseru, Huye, Zurich, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, addressing topics including decolonial education, curatorial practice, and museums.

Beyond her curatorial and research practice, Plessie serves as Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Department of Fine and Studio Arts at Tshwane University of Technology, where she supports academic initiatives that engage contemporary artistic and educational practices.

Her publications include a chapter in Standing Items: Critical Pedagogies in South African Art, Design, and Architecture (2019) and Mapungubwe: Colours of the Hill Activity Book (2022).

Through her work as a curator, researcher, and educator, Plessie advances pedagogical curation as a transformative approach to knowledge production, exhibition-making, and public engagement.

Puleng Plessie, Curator: Education and Public Programming, Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa, has been awarded by Mercedes Vilardell (Mallorca, Spain / London, UK).