Following Adriano Pedrosa’s deep dive into South America and the region’s interconnected indigenous knowledges, the Venice Biennale turns its attention to the continent’s vast and vibrant artistic landscape. The Biennale has appointed Cameroon-born curator Koyo Kouoh as artistic director of its 61st international art exhibition, scheduled for 2026. The prestigious event’s African woman and second African-born curator takes over the role following the groundbreaking 2015 edition chaired by Okwui Enwezor.
Kouoh said in a statement: “It is a once-in-a-lifetime honor and privilege to follow in the footsteps of illustrious predecessors and create an exhibition that I hope will bring meaning to the world we currently live in…” – The most important Yes, for the world we want to create. She goes on to call artists “visionaries and social scientists” who allow us to reflect and project in unique ways, hinting at the ambitious and globally resonant vision she will undoubtedly bring to Venice.
Currently, Kouoh is the Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town, where she has played a transformative role since joining the institution in 2019. Its reputation as a leading institution in Africa. Among her many accomplishments, she spearheaded the landmark 2022/2024 exhibition When We See Us: A Century of Black Figures in Painting, a comprehensive look at Black self-representation, cultural expression, and history to date The largest and most comprehensive exploration of over 100 works by artists from Africa and the global African diaspora.
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Born in Cameroon in 1967 and raised in Zurich, Kouoh’s curatorial approach is equally global, splitting her time between Cape Town, Dakar and Basel. Her illustrious career includes curatorial roles at Documenta 12 and 13 in Kassel, Germany, as well as notable exhibitions such as the 37th EVA in Limerick in 2016 International’s “Still (the) Barbarians” and “Body Talk: Feminism, Sexuality and the Body in the Body of the Limerick.” Curated art projects through the 1-54th Contemporary African Art Fair in 2017, cementing her reputation as a champion of artists from Africa and the diaspora.
In 2009, Kouoh co-founded Raw Material Company, an arts center in Dhaka focused on curatorial practice and art criticism. Since then, Raw Materials has become a center for cultivating intellectual creativity in Africa, fusing disciplines such as literature, film, fashion and architecture. In addition to institutional leadership, Kouoh served as advisor to Abdoulaye Konaté, Otobong Nkanga, Johannes Phokela and Tracy She made a major contribution to the rise of African artists such as Tracey Rose, for whom she wrote the first major monograph.
While it is too early to speculate on her exact curatorial theme, Kuo’s history suggests that the Biennale will highlight Africa’s contribution to global culture, situate it within the framework of global discourse, and address historical injustice, colonial injustice equality and other pressing ecological and economic issues relevant to the African continent.
Her appointment is a clear demonstration of the Biennale’s commitment to sustaining a global and progressive artistic dialogue, even as Italy grapples with changing political and cultural dynamics. Lingering concerns over the influence of Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government and the recent appointment of conservative journalist Pietrangelo Buttafuoco as biennale president have some worried This marked a turn toward cultural conservatism. Against this backdrop, Kouoh’s selection feels like a deliberate balance, reaffirming the Biennale’s status as an autonomous international platform for contemporary art.
Buttafuoco himself waxed poetic about her appointment, declaring to the press: “The appointment of Koyo Kouoh as Director of the Visual Arts Department is a recognition of a broad vision in a day filled with new words and phrases. “Eye. Her perspectives as a curator, scholar and influential public figure are combined with the most sophisticated, youthful and disruptive wisdom. She comes to Venice, where the Biennale confirms what it has offered the world for more than a century: to be the home of the future.
