Koyo Kouoh, a curator of Cameroonian and Swiss heritage, has been selected as the Director of the 61st Venice Art Biennale. It will take place from April to November 2026.
The Biennale’s Board of Directors made the announcement on Tuesday, following a proposal by President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco.
Currently the Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) in Cape Town, Kouoh brings extensive experience to the role. Kouoh has a pan-Africanist perspective and was the founding Artistic Director of Raw Material Company, a multidisciplinary art centre in Dakar, Senegal. Her curatorial work also includes contributions to documenta 12 and documenta 13, two landmark international art exhibitions.
First African woman to lead Art Biennale
Kouoh’s appointment marks a historic moment for the Venice Biennale, making her the first African woman to lead the visual arts sector. This decision defies expectations that Italy’s political shift under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni might steer the Biennale toward a more nationalistic agenda.
President Buttafuoco, a Sicilian journalist with a reputation for unconventional views, framed the decision as an embrace of diversity and innovation. “Koyo Kouoh’s appointment embodies the Biennale’s mission to remain a beacon for future artistic visions,” he stated.
The 60th edition of the Biennale, curated by Brazilian Adriano Pedrosa and themed “Foreigners Everywhere,” sparked debates about migration and the global south’s role in reshaping the art world. While some celebrated the festival’s challenge to Eurocentrism, others critiqued its approach as overly didactic.
Kouoh described the Biennale as a “mythical site” where the art world gathers to interpret the spirit of the times. “The International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia has been the centre of gravity for art for over a century. Artists, art and museum professionals, collectors, dealers, philanthropists and an ever-growing public converge on this mythical site every two years to feel the pulse of the Zeitgeist.”
