Born in Zimbabwe and worked mainly as an independent curator for more than ten years before joining the National Gallery of Zimbabwe mid 2010 as its Chief Curator. He is the founding curator of the 1st Zimbabwe Pavilion in 2011 and also curated the Zimbabwe Pavilion 2013, 2015 and 2017 at the Venice Biennale. Chikukwa is also a founding member of the PUMA funded Creative Africa Network as an editor and advisor of the project from 2008 – 2009. After taking Zimbabwe to Venice in 2011, Chikukwa has taken part in a number of Forums that include, Art Basel Salon 2015, Cape Town Art Fair 2016, Re Zimbabwe Pavilion talk at INIVA (London) 1st World Biennale Forum in South Korea, KLA 2012 (Uganda), Condition Report forum in Senegal and Arco Madrid 2013. He is also the co-curator for the Basket Case exhibition 2014, co-curator of Kabbo Ka Muwala: Migration and Mobility in Contemporary Art, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Germany.
His qualifications and international experience earned this position at the national institution, which he hopes to change the visual arts landscape of Zimbabwe. Chikukwa who was awarded the 2006 – 2007 Chevening Scholar now holds an MA Curating Contemporary Design from Kingston University London. The 2nd Johannesburg Biennale in 1997 provided an impetus to Raphael’s curatorial career after working as a volunteer guide for the Biennale. He later moved to his home country Zimbabwe as a process of relocation to his motherland. Chikukwa is a founding staff member of the PUMA funded Creative Africa Network as an editor and advisor of the project from 2008 – 2009. Recently he was among seven Curators from Africa attending the Tate Modern Symposium “Curating Africa” where he presented a paper on his curatorial practice. In 2008, Chikukwa represented Africa at the 2008 Art Basel Miami Conversations in the United States of America. The American Centre Foundation also awarded Raphael a curatorial research grant in 2006 – 2007 and he travelled in West Africa for his curatorial research.