Overview

• Koyo Kouoh, the first African woman appointed to curate the Venice Biennale, has died at age 57, leaving the 2026 Biennale curatorship unfilled.
• Her groundbreaking career included founding the Raw Material Company in Dakar and leading the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town.
• Kouoh was celebrated for challenging Eurocentric museum models and fostering dialogue between African and European art cultures.
• She was set to announce her Biennale program on May 20, 2025, a milestone that now remains unrealized following her sudden death.
• The Biennale Foundation has not disclosed the cause of her death, which marks a significant loss in the global art community.