Koyo Kouoh

Koyo Kouoh was born on 24 December 1967, She lived in Douala until the age of 13, as well as cultural management in France. She was fluent in French, German, English, and Italian. Kouoh began to focus on writing and editing. As she later recalled: "[That anthology] was essential to my understanding of the power of the imaginary. And above all, to the contribution of women and the importance of their voices. Living in a German-speaking space where African voices are even less heard, I made the decision to undertake an editorial project that would aim at doing, in the German-speaking world, what Busby had done in the English speaking one." In 1994, Kouoh co-edited '', a German-language companion to Daughters of Africa'', which was a collection of writings by women of the African diaspora. The following year, she travelled to Dakar, Senegal, to interview filmmaker Ousmane Sembène. After encountering the city's art scene, including meeting painter Issa Samb, and frustrated with anti-black racism in Europe, Kouoh decided to move to Dakar and pursue an art-related career. ==Curatorial career==

Kouoh initially worked as a cultural officer for the U.S. Consulate and as an independent curator. In 2001 and 2003, Kouoh served as co-curator – alongside writer Simon Njami – on Les Rencontres de la Photographie Africaine in Bamako, a photography biennial held in Mali. From 2008 until 2019, Kouoh served as the founding artistic director of RAW Material Company, a Dakar artist's residency, exhibition space, and academy. For the latter, she organized a show based on postcolonial themes, in part to celebrate the centenary of the Easter Rising, with the exhibition's title, Still (the) Barbarians, referencing the poem "Waiting for the Barbarians" by Greek author Constantine P. Cavafy. Among the artists included were Kader Attia, Liam Gillick, Abdoulaye Konaté, Alice Maher, and Tracey Rose. Kouoh was involved in the development of the 1:54 contemporary African art fair since its 2013 inception at Somerset House in London, curating the 1:54 FORUM programme of lectures and seminars, first held in New York in 2015. In 2015, she curated Body Talk: Feminism, Sexuality and the Body in the Works of Six African Women Artists, which opened at WIELS Contemporary Art Centre in Brussels and was also mounted at the in Sweden. The show – which subsequently opened at the FRAC Lorraine in Metz, France – prompted The New York Times to state: "Over the last two decades Ms. Kouoh has become one of Africa's preeminent curators and art managers through a combination of a relaxed demeanor, a sharp eye, a gift for languages (she is fluent in French, German, English and Italian, and knows some Russian) and a keen interest in all aspects of the arts." when she pressed him for more efforts to right past wrongs, and said: "Our imagination was violated." Kouoh was part of the jury that selected Shu Lea Cheang as recipient of the LG Guggenheim Award in March 2024. In December 2024, Kouoh was appointed curator of the 61st Venice Art Biennale, announcement of the exhibition's title and theme being scheduled to take place in Venice on 20 May 2025, with the opening set for 9 May 2026. She was the first African woman to have been chosen to curate the Biennale. ==Zeitz MOCAA==

The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town, South Africa—the African continent's largest museum—opened in 2017, built around the art collection of philanthropist Jochen Zeitz. At the time of Kouoh's arrival, according to one newspaper report, "morale was low and exhibitions lackluster." As The Art Newspaper has stated: "The Rose exhibition reflected [Kouoh's] determination to mount African single-artist exhibitions and her focus on female artists, on Black feminism and Black female artists." Notable exhibitions mounted under Kouoh's leadership at Zeitz MOCAA championed Pan-African narratives, among them When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting (2022–2023), which traveled to BOZAR, Brussels. In her mission to showcase the work of artists from the African continent and its diaspora, Kouoh used the term "Black geographies", to include all parts of the world "where African and Afro-diasporic cultures have been transported, often involuntarily, but where they have evolved, transformed and taken root, whether artistically, intellectually, spiritually or ideologically. These territories become extensions of the continent, places of connection and dialogue." ==Personal life==

Kouoh was married. Death and legacy Kouoh died suddenly at a hospital in Basel, Switzerland, on 10 May 2025, at the age of 57. As reported by The New York Times, her husband, Philippe Mall, said she had a very recent cancer diagnosis. She had been set to serve as the director of the 2026 Venice Biennale. A statement issued by the Biennale stated: "Her passing leaves an immense void in the world of contemporary art and in the international community of artists, curators, and scholars who had the privilege of knowing and admiring her extraordinary human and intellectual commitment." Zeitz MOCAA's tribute said: "Her vision, passion, and indomitable spirit shaped the soul of this museum. She leaves behind a legacy that has forever changed the landscape of contemporary African art." In a posthumously published article Kouoh had written for The Guardian, she concluded: "Ultimately, my role as the first African woman to curate the biennale is not about personal legacy. While I recognise the significance of being the first African woman to hold this position, I hope my appointment sets a precedent rather than becoming an exception. My vision is for a future where such milestones are no longer remarkable, simply because so many others have followed. The real measure of progress is not in being first but in ensuring the door remains wide open for those who come next." Among many tributes to the impact she made, one in Art Africa magazine stated: "Kouoh redefined what it means to curate with political consciousness and deep integrity. She expanded the possibilities for artists and ideas from the African continent and the Global South, reshaping the narratives of contemporary art history." The first UK solo exhibition by Joanne Leonard at HackelBury Fine Art studio in London, Vintage Photographs and Early Collages (29 May – 8 July 2025) is "dedicated with respect and admiration to Koyo Kouoh, a visionary curator, cultural thinker, and advocate for the transformative power of art." ==Other activities==

• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), member of the board • Celeste Prize, member of the board • Teaching and workshops, such as Forecast mentorship in Berlin ==Recognition==

From 2014 to 2022, Kouoh was annually named one of the 100 most influential people in the contemporary art world by ArtReview, peaking at No. 32 in 2020. which honours achievements in the fields of art, architecture, critique, and exhibitions. ==Publications==

• Condition Report on Building Art Institutions in Africa (2012) • Word!Word?Word! Issa Samb and The Undecipherable Form (2013) • Condition Report on Art History in Africa (2020) • Breathing Out of School: RAW Académie (2021) • When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting (as editor; 2022) • Shooting Down Babylon (2022), monograph on the work of Tracey Rose ==References==