Photo: Marianna Feher
Alexander Kateb
Curator of Learning and Public Programs, Moderna Museet
Biography
Alexander Kateb is a Stockholm-based curator, art historian, and pedagogue whose practice is rooted in institutional work, with a strong emphasis on learning and public engagement. He holds an MA in Aesthetics from Södertörn University and a BA in Art History from Stockholm University. He has conducted research at the Swedish Institute in Rome and studied Islamic art history at Sorbonne University in Paris.
In his current role as the Curator of Learning and Public Programs at Moderna Museet, Kateb’s work is grounded in hosting and relationship-building, connecting artists, thinkers, and audiences to foster dialogue and develop discursive formats that extend beyond the exhibition context. Recent projects include the exhibition “Britta Marakatt-Labba – Where Each Stitch Breathes”, for which he curated an extensive public program exploring Sámi artistic traditions, intergenerational knowledge, storytelling, and the historical impacts of Swedish colonialism in Sápmi. In fall 2025, he co-organized the symposia “The Object and the Action: On Mike Kelley’s Performance Practice and Legacies” and “Robert Rauschenberg and Surrealism.”
His practice is informed by transhistorical perspectives and a critical engagement with institutional power structures, shaped during his previous curatorial role at Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, whose collection dates back to the 16th century. There, he led pedagogical and community-based initiatives aimed at reaching new audiences.
Of Swedish-Tunisian background, Kateb maintains a sustained engagement with North Africa, grounded in long-standing personal and professional affinities. This is evident in his earlier work as a producer with the Malmö-based platform Shako Mako, which presents art and culture from the SWANA region. It also informed his 2024 appointment as a consultant to the City of Malmö’s Department of Culture for the project “Contemporary Islamic Art.” In spring 2026, he was curator-in-residence for “CPR 2026: (Self) Organization in North Africa”, a month-long program across Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.
