Koyo Kouoh, 2026 Venice Art Biennale curator, dies suddenly at age 58

ROME — (AP) — Koyo Kouoh, the curator of the 2026 Venice Art Biennale, has died at age 58, her home institution in South Africa said in an Instagram post Saturday. The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary …
Who curated the 2026 Venice Biennale?

Her appointment as the curator of the 2026 Venice Biennale was welcomed by the art community. “She was remarkably deserving,” said Adrienne Edwards, the senior curator and associate director of curatorial programs at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Who was the first African woman to curate the Venice Art Biennale?

Kouoh was the first African woman asked to helm the Venice Art Biennale. Born in Cameroon in 1967, she was invited to curate the 2026 edition of the Biennale in December. A leading figure in promoting Pan-Africanism throughout the art world, Kouoh had been executive director and chief curator at Zeitz since 2019.

What happened at the Venice Biennale?

The statement added that her death “leaves an immense void in the world of contemporary art.” The Venice Biennale is arguably the art world’s most important event. Staged every two years since 1895, it always includes a large-scale group show, organized by the curator, alongside dozens of national pavilions, organized independently.

Where did Kouoh go to work?

Fed up with life in the Swiss city of Zurich, Kouoh returned to Africa in 1996. She worked as a curator in Senegalese capital city Dakar, before founding Raw Material Company, an expansive, independent art hub.

How did Kouoh die?

The cause of Kouoh’s unexpected death has not yet been made public. The curator passed away in Switzerland, according to reports. South African artist Candice Breitz described Kouoh as “magnificently intelligent, endlessly energetic and formidably elegant”.