Venice Biennale has announced that Koyo Kouoh has been selected to lead the world’s largest recurring art exhibition. She will become only the second African-born curator to oversee the Biennale, following Okwui Enwezor, who made history as the curator of its 2015 edition.
Originally from Cameroon and now a Swiss resident, Kouoh currently serves as executive director and chief curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art in Cape Town, South Africa. The museum, one of Africa’s most significant institutions, has hosted major exhibitions under her leadership, including 2022’s “When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting,” widely regarded as a landmark survey of a key artistic trend. She has also curated solo exhibitions for artists such as Tracey Rose, Otobong Nkanga, and Abdoulaye Konaté.
Kouoh founded RAW Material Company in Dakar, Senegal, in 2008 before achieving global recognition. At the time, Senegal had few independent art spaces, and her initiative provided a platform for local audiences to engage with art in an open and dynamic way.
Kouoh is no stranger to the biennial circuit, having contributed to the curatorial teams of Documenta in 2007 and 2012. She also organized an edition of Ireland’s EVA International and curated an exhibition as part of the 2018 Carnegie International.
Commenting on her appointment, Kouoh stated, “It is a once-in-a-lifetime honor and privilege to follow in the footsteps of luminary predecessors in the role of Artistic Director, and to compose an exhibition that I hope will carry meaning for the world we currently live in—and most importantly, for the world we want to make. Artists are the visionaries and social scientists who allow us to reflect and project in ways afforded only to this line of work.”
President of the Biennale Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, praised Kouoh’s vision, saying, “Her perspective as a curator, scholar, and influential public figure meets with the most refined, young, and disruptive intelligences. With her here in Venice, La Biennale confirms what it has offered the world for over a century: to be the home of the future.”
Buttafuoco’s leadership at the Biennale has sparked controversy due to his lack of managerial experience and ties to Italy’s right-wing Brothers of Italy party. While some feared his appointment would negatively impact the institution, the 2024 Biennale which focused on queer perspectives and the Global South, proceeded without noticeable interference. However, as the 2024 edition was planned before Buttafuoco’s tenure began, Kouoh’s 2026 exhibition is expected to be a decisive test of his influence on the Biennale.
