First held in 1895, the Venice Bienale is the world’s longest running contemporary art exhibition., and is one of the art world’s most important events. It includes a large-scale group show organized by the curator, and dozens of national pavilions, which participating countries stage independently. They are extremely picky about what artists exhibit/who is affiliated with it, and Koyo Kouoh, one of Africa’s pre-eminent curators, will oversee the 61st edition in 2026.
Starting out in business administration and banking, Kouoh has been one of Africa’s most prominent art world figures for over a decade. In 2008, she founded Raw Material, a residency program and exhibition space, in Dakar, Senegal. Eleven years later, she was tapped to lead the Zeitz MOCAA, one of Africa’s largest contemporary art museums. In addition to these projects Kouoh has also worked on the curatorial teams of several biennials as well as two editions of Documenta, the major art show held every five years in Kassel, Germany (which is A Very Big Deal). She has been described as being “a shaper of opinion” who cares about bringing attention to the next generation of artists, and of people are excited about the energy she will bring to the Bienale.
In a telephone interview from Miami, where she is attending the Art Basel fair, Kouoh, 56, said she was “ecstatic” about the appointment.
She wants to create a show that “really speaks to our times,” she said, “and particularly speaks to where we want to go.” Although she already had “multiple ideas” about what the exhibition could look like, Kouoh said she was an “artist-centered curator” who would be guided by conversations with the show’s exhibitors.
“The artists will define where we go,” she said.
This is incredible news. 30+ ONTD, this is your wakeup call. It is never too late to start a new profession in something you’re passionate about, because in many cases it proves to be advantageous for you. The Biennale is the Mount Olympus of the art world, and to have an African woman at the helm is… I’m literally verklempt, ya’ll. This means so much to so many people. I haven’t been this happy for an Art Sis since Kara Walker walked off with the MacArthur fellowship and made the respectability politics crowd mad as hell. I am fiercely proud of her and hopes she does well.
Source:
New York Times: More background information about Kouoh
