VENICE — The art world lost a visionary last week. The Venice Biennale lost its future.
When Koyo Kouoh died of cancer on May 10, the 57-year-old curator had barely begun sketching out her plans for the 2026 edition of the world’s most prestigious art exhibition. Her death, just days before she was set to announce her curatorial framework, has left Venice Biennale organizers facing questions with no easy answers.
A Biennale spokesperson confirmed to The Art Newspaper that the May 20 press conference—originally planned as Kouoh’s platform to unveil her vision—will still happen. What they’ll announce remains anybody’s guess.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Kouoh’s December appointment as the first African woman to direct the exhibition in its 130-year history wasn’t just a milestone; it signaled potential transformation for an institution long dominated by European perspectives.
“Her passing leaves an immense void in the world of contemporary art,” read the Biennale’s terse statement released hours after her death.
Trailblazer with unfinished business
Born in Cameroon and later based in Switzerland, Senegal and South Africa, Kouoh had built a reputation for challenging established art world hierarchies.
“For me, it became a duty to salvage this institution,” she told the BBC in 2023 about taking over troubled Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, where she served as Executive Director and Chief Curator from 2019 until her death.
By all accounts, she delivered. Under Kouoh’s leadership, Zeitz MOCAA expanded its curatorial team, introduced artist residencies, and mounted ambitious shows focused on African and diasporic artists.
Her 2022 exhibition “When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting” brought together works by over 150 Black artists spanning 100 years—a massive undertaking that received international acclaim.
Earlier career highlights included founding RAW Material Company in Dakar in 2008, curating the EVA International Biennial in Ireland (2016), and serving as curatorial advisor for Documenta 12 and 13.
The Venice appointment represented a career pinnacle. What it might have become now lives only in speculation.
The unannounced vision
While Kouoh never publicly revealed her plans for Venice, her February interview with Next Is Africa magazine offered tantalizing clues.
She discussed a concept she called “Black Geographies,” describing territories where “African and Afro-diasporic cultures have been transported… but where they have evolved and taken root artistically, intellectually, spiritually, or ideologically.”
This framework challenged traditional borders, positioning places like Brazil, Cuba, and parts of the United States as extensions of African cultural presence. She described her curatorial approach as rooted in a “pan-African perspective” while remaining “generous, inclusive and welcoming.”
According to ArtAsiaPacific, Kouoh had already submitted her proposed theme and title to Biennale officials before her death. What exactly she proposed remains confidential.
Italian magazine Artuu captured the situation poignantly: “Kouoh did not leave a title for the Biennale, but she did leave a grammar: the urgency to rewrite the rules of the curatorial game.”
Conflicting reports, mounting pressure
The Biennale’s tight-lipped approach has fueled speculation across art publications.
On May 12, ArtMajeur claimed the 2026 edition “would go ahead and be dedicated entirely to her intellectual and artistic legacy” and continue with the “Black Geographies” theme. No other outlets have confirmed this report, which contradicts the Biennale’s own statements about pending decisions.
Meanwhile, a Biennale spokesperson told The Art Newspaper simply that “we’ll know on May 20” how Kouoh’s death affects plans for the exhibition.
The hesitation makes sense. No precedent exists for this exact scenario in Venice’s long history. When curators change between Biennale editions, it’s by design, not tragedy.
The closest parallel might be when Nigerian curator Okwui Enwezor (who directed the 2015 Venice Biennale) died in 2019. His final exhibition, “Grief and Grievance,” was completed posthumously at New York’s New Museum.
Venice faced a somewhat similar situation with architect Italo Rota, who died last April after beginning work on the 2025 Architecture Biennale. In that case, they awarded him a posthumous Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement but continued with other curators already in place.
The Biennale faces pressure from multiple directions. Artists’ careers hang in balance. National pavilions need guidance. And the symbolic weight of Kouoh’s historic appointment looms over every decision.
What happens next?
Art world veterans see three paths forward, each with complications.
First option: realize Kouoh’s vision posthumously. This would require detailed plans and a team intimately familiar with her thinking. Based on the timing of her death, such documentation may be limited.
Second: appoint a new artistic director. With less than a year until the May 2026 opening, any replacement would face brutal time constraints.
Third: assemble a curatorial collective aligned with Kouoh’s sensibilities, similar to how Documenta 8 recovered when its original directors stepped down in 1987, bringing in five curators to finish the job.
Whatever route they choose will reveal something fundamental about the institution itself.
“The decision La Biennale makes will be watched closely,” The Art Newspaper noted, “as a reflection of its commitment to the ideals of progress and inclusivity that Kouoh’s appointment symbolized.”
Beyond Venice
Kouoh’s legacy extends far beyond one exhibition. Through RAW Material Company and Zeitz MOCAA, she nurtured platforms that centered African and diasporic voices in global art conversations.
Her RAW Académie program trained dozens of young curators who now hold influential positions worldwide. Under her direction, Zeitz MOCAA transformed from a struggling museum into what critics termed a “beacon of excellence” with international standing.
“She did not just represent Africa in the art world—she redefined its center,” noted Afrotoronto in a tribute following her death.
As May 20 approaches, crucial questions remain unresolved:
Will they stick with Kouoh’s theme? If she indeed proposed “Black Geographies,” does the concept die with her or continue under new direction?
Who takes over? A single replacement, a collective, or some hybrid approach?
What about artists already in conversations with Kouoh? Their participation now hangs in limbo.
How will the institution memorialize her? Beyond the exhibition itself, some form of tribute seems inevitable.
Can they still meet production deadlines? Even if the May 2026 opening holds, internal schedules must adjust.
For a global art community increasingly focused on decolonial perspectives, Venice’s response matters beyond a single exhibition. It’s a test of institutional adaptability when faced with both tragedy and opportunity.
Kouoh’s death derailed Venice Biennale 2026 plans. What emerges from that derailment will reveal whether her brief tenure marked a fleeting moment or the beginning of genuine transformation.
