National Art Gallery of Namibia

What makes it special

Start with John Muafangejo, whose work fills three rooms of the gallery. He worked in linocut and used it to address the region's history of conflict, so read what each print shows as well as how it is cut.

Around those rooms hangs the permanent exhibition of Namibian, African and European art. It draws on two collections, the gallery's own and the Arts Association Heritage Trust's. Beside the paintings and prints, a display of ceramic pots and marble sculptures adds a third kind of object to look at.

The rest of the building changes through the year. Contemporary exhibitions bring in regional, national and international art, and solo shows of local artists such as Uli Aschenborn are held here as well.

Every three years the gallery hosts the Bank Windhoek Triennial, Namibia's biggest visual art competition. Check whether one is hanging during your visit.

Visiting

Checking which exhibitions are hanging comes first, since the contemporary shows change while the permanent rooms stay. Give the Muafangejo rooms your slowest look, then move on to the permanent exhibition and whichever contemporary show is on.

Some rooms are one floor up, so check upstairs before you leave. A show you missed downstairs may be hanging there.

Workshops and public activities run alongside the exhibitions, and some let you meet the artists. Check the schedule when you arrive if you are in Windhoek for a few days.

Tips

Go to the corner of John Meinert Street, not to 128 Robert Mugabe Avenue, which is the gallery's framing workshop. Plan a Saturday visit for the morning, since the doors shut early in the afternoon.

The staff are on hand to talk about the work and the artists. Put your questions about a print or a painter to them rather than guessing from the labels.