Cameroonian-born curator Koyo Kouoh has made history as the first African woman to be named Artistic Director of the Venice Biennale, the world’s most prestigious and longest-running contemporary art exhibition.
She will helm the 61st International Art Exhibition in 2026, a role entrusted to her by La Biennale di Venezia’s Board, following the recommendation of President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco.
Kouoh, the Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town since 2019, brings decades of groundbreaking curatorial experience.
Her past work spans institutions such as documenta in Germany and RAW Material Company in Senegal, cementing her as a global force in the art world.
During her tenure at Zeitz MOCAA, Kouoh has championed African and diaspora artists, organizing transformative exhibitions like When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting and Shooting Down Babylon.
Reflecting on her appointment, Kouoh expressed gratitude and excitement:
“The International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia has been the center of gravity for art for over a century. It is a once-in-a-lifetime honor to compose an exhibition that carries meaning for the world we live in and the world we want to make. Artists are visionaries who allow us to reflect and project in ways unique to their work.”
Kouoh’s career is distinguished by her critical engagement with pan-African and global art narratives. Her curated projects include Still (the) Barbarians at Ireland’s EVA International and Dig Where You Stand for the Carnegie International in the United States. She has also led impactful research initiatives, such as Saving Bruce Lee: African and Arab Cinema in the Era of Soviet Cultural Diplomacy, and published extensively on African art history and institutional development.
Kouoh’s leadership promises a Biennale that intertwines global art dialogues with fresh, diverse perspectives.
