The art world is mourning the sudden passing of Koyo Kouoh, one of the most influential and inspiring figures in contemporary art. Kouoh, who had been appointed as the curator of the 2026 Venice Biennale—the first person of African descent to hold the role—died at the age of 57. The Biennale officially announced the news of her passing. In their statement, they said:
“We are shocked by the sudden and untimely loss of Koyo Kouoh. Her death leaves a profound void in the contemporary art world and in the international community of artists, curators, and scholars.”
Kouoh was scheduled to present the title and theme for the 61st edition of the Venice Biennale on May 20. The Biennale team emphasized that she approached the project “with passion, precision, and vision.”
A Pan-African Legacy: Life and Career
Born in 1967 in Douala, Cameroon, Koyo Kouoh pursued her education in Switzerland. After studying banking and cultural management, she built her career in contemporary art. In Dakar, Senegal, she founded RAW Material Company, a center for art, knowledge, and society that quickly gained international recognition. More than just an exhibition space, RAW became a platform for critical thinking, experimental curating, and interdisciplinary research.
In 2019, Kouoh was appointed Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town. There, she championed solo exhibitions focusing on artists from the African continent and its diaspora. Her exhibitions—featuring artists such as Tracey Rose (Shooting Down Babylon), Otobong Nkanga, Johannes Phokela, and Senzeni Marasela—stood out for their rigorous research, curatorial precision, and political consciousness.
A Global Influence
Kouoh’s curatorial work extended far beyond the African continent. She led projects at major international institutions such as WIELS (Belgium), EVA International (Ireland), Carnegie International (Pittsburgh), 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair (London and New York), Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Moscow), and Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin). From 2015 to 2018, she co-directed the three-year research project Saving Bruce Lee: African and Arab Cinema in the Era of Soviet Cultural Diplomacy with Rasha Salti—an initiative that offered a groundbreaking perspective on cultural diplomacy and film history.
Kouoh was also a prolific writer and editor. Her publications include When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting (2022), Condition Report on Art History in Africa (2020), Word!Word?Word! Issa Samb and the Undecipherable Form (2013), and Condition Report on Building Art Institutions in Africa (2012). These works cement her legacy not only as a curator but also as a thinker and intellectual force in contemporary art.
Her appointment in December 2024 as the curator of the 61st Venice Biennale carried deep symbolic significance. She became the first African woman to be entrusted with this prestigious role, at a time when Italy’s right-wing populist politics had raised fears of a more nationalist agenda. Kouoh, who described herself as “a radical Pan-Africanist,” came to represent a curatorial vision that defied Eurocentric norms, embracing inclusivity and multiplicity.
