Koyo Kouoh is a name that many people in Cape Town know and admire. She is a curator who leads the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), a place that showcases art from Africa and its diaspora. Recently, Kouoh made headlines by being headlines by being named the artistic director for the 2026 Venice Biennale. This is a big deal because she is the first African woman to hold this important position.
Since she started at Zeitz MOCCA in 2019, Kouoh has transformed the museum into a space for exhibitions. She focuses on highlighting African artists and their stories. One of her most famous exhibitions, called “When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting” took place in 2022. It looked at how Black people are represented themselves in art over the last hundred years and received praise from around the world.
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Now, as she prepares for the Venice Biennale, Kouoh is excited to share her vision with a global audience. She wants to create an event that not only reflects the world we live in today but also inspires hope for a better future. Kouoh described this opportunity as a “once-in-a-lifetime honor” and is eager to bring her unique ideas to the event.
Interestingly, her appointment comes at a time when the new president of the Biennale, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, has faced criticism for his conservative views. However, Kouoh’s selection seems to show a commitment to diversity and fresh ideas, which is encouraging for many art lovers.
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Originally from Cameroon, Kouoh has made Cape Town her home while maintaining connections to other cities like Dakar and Basel. Throughout her career, she has worked hard to amplify African voices in the art world, collaborating with well-known artists like Tracey Rose and Otobong Nkanga.
