The Visual Identities in Art and Design Research Centre (VIAD) is an internationally respected research facility, dedicated to deepening research around the overarching thematic of identity construction through forms of visual practice, visual culture and visual representation, and specifically in relation to African and Afrodiasporic histories and experiences.

Established in June 2007, VIAD is housed within the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA), on the Bunting Road Campus. VIAD’s location within the urban metropolis of Johannesburg – the economic capital of Africa – is strategic. In correlation with UJ’s vision to be "an international University of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future" (University of Johannesburg 2017), research conducted in VIAD reflects UJ's engagement with the vibrancy and diversity of the Johannesburg metropolis,as well as the institution’s active nurturing of cultural and social diversity.