Koyo Kouoh, a towering figure in the contemporary art world, has died at the age of 57 as a result of a recently-diagnosed cancer. She is best known for her work advocating for African creatives and institutions, as well as curating a number of high profile international shows. Kouoh was due to curate the 2026 Venice Biennale, making her the second African to lead the exhibition following Okwui Enwezor’s edition in 2015, and the first African woman to do so.
Kouoh was born in Cameroon in 1967, moving to Switzerland at 13, where she later studied Business Administration and Banking. However, as she explained in a 2023 interview, ‘[she was] fundamentally uninterested in profit’, and left her studies to became a social worker assisting migrant women. It was at this point that Kouoh began to get involved in the art world.
She returned to Africa in 1996 and settled in Dakar, Senegal, where she founded Raw Material Company, an independent art hub for West African creatives. She believed in engaging with the region first and foremost, weaving an ‘Africa-first’ narrative that challenged the Western canon.
In 2019, Kouoh was appointed executive director and chief curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town, South Africa. At the time, the institution was facing a controversy; Kouoh is widely credited with turning its fortunes around. She revamped Zeitz, placing a renewed focus on African art for African people, including a 2022 show titled When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting, which is currently on display in Brussels. The museum has released a statement expressing its ‘profound sorrow’ at the news of Kouoh’s passing, and explaining the museum will be closed ‘until further notice’.
Although Kouoh prioritised African voices and perspectives, her influence extended beyond the continent. She worked on curatorial teams for Documenta, the international contemporary art exhibition held every five years in Kassel, Germany; EVA International, Ireland's biennial of contemporary art; and the Carnegie International in Pittsburgh.
She was also, as mentioned, due to curate the 2026 Venice Biennale; sadly, Kouoh passed away before details of her exhibition could be released, although the biennale has said that a conference to discuss her work will still go ahead. It also said that her death ‘leaves an immense void in the world of contemporary art’, and reflected upon the ‘passion, intellectual rigor and vision’ that characterised her work.
Throughout her career, Kouoh was unwavering in her advocacy for African artists. She also prioritised institution-building over personal advancement, aiming to leave a legacy that supports artists. There is no doubt that she achieved her aim.
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