May 12, 2025 | AfroRadar.com
The global art community is reeling from the sudden loss of Koyo Kouoh, the visionary Cameroonian-Swiss curator whose transformative work elevated African contemporary art to new heights. Kouoh, who passed away on May 10, 2025, in Basel, Switzerland, at the age of 57, was a towering figure in the art world, celebrated for her intellectual rigor, passion, and unwavering commitment to amplifying African voices. Her death, attributed to a recently diagnosed cancer, comes just months after her historic appointment as the first African woman to curate the 2026 Venice Biennale, a milestone that underscored her profound influence.
Born in Douala, Cameroon, in 1967, Kouoh’s journey was one of resilience and reinvention. Raised in Cameroon before moving to Zurich, Switzerland, at age 13, she initially studied banking and business administration. However, frustrated by anti-Black racism in Europe, she returned to Africa in 1996, settling in Dakar, Senegal, where she found her calling in the vibrant art scene. There, she founded RAW Material Company in 2008, a groundbreaking art center that became a beacon for contemporary African art, fostering exhibitions, residencies, and critical discourse.
Kouoh’s impact extended far beyond Dakar. In 2019, she took the helm of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town, South Africa, during a period of institutional crisis. Under her leadership, the museum emerged as a global platform for African artists, with landmark exhibitions like When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting (2022), which showcased 156 artists from Africa and its diaspora and is currently on view in Brussels. Her curatorial approach, which emphasized solo retrospectives and Pan-African narratives, redefined how African art is perceived, challenging Western-centric frameworks and celebrating Black self-expression.
“Koyo was not just a curator; she was an institution builder,” said Oluremi C. Onabanjo, associate curator of photography at the Museum of Modern Art. “She enlivened a sense of possibility for a generation of African curators across the globe.” Kouoh’s global reach was evident in her contributions to prestigious events like Documenta (2007, 2012), EVA International (2016), and the Carnegie International (2018), as well as her role in shaping the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair’s educational program.
Her appointment to curate the 2026 Venice Biennale, announced in December 2024, was a historic moment. As the second African-born curator to lead the world’s most prestigious art exhibition, following Okwui Enwezor in 2015, Kouoh was poised to bring her bold vision to a global stage. She was set to unveil the exhibition’s title and theme on May 20, 2025, a presentation now shrouded in uncertainty following her passing. The Biennale’s organizers expressed their grief, stating, “Her passing leaves an immense void in the world of contemporary art and in the international community of artists, curators, and scholars who had the privilege of knowing and admiring her extraordinary human and intellectual commitment.”
Kouoh’s legacy is also deeply personal. A mother of four—having given birth to one son and adopted three other children—she spoke of her transformative experiences in Switzerland and her spiritual beliefs rooted in African ancestral traditions. In a recent Financial Times interview, she reflected, “I do believe in life after death, because I come from an ancestral Black education where we believe in parallel lives and realities… I believe in energies—living or dead—and in cosmic strength.” Her love for Dakar remained unwavering, a city she credited with shaping her professional identity. “Dakar made me who I am today,” she said.
Tributes have poured in from across the globe. South African artist Candice Breitz called Kouoh “magnificently intelligent, endlessly energetic, and formidably elegant,” while Nigerian artist Otobong Nkanga described her as a source of “warmth, generosity, and brilliance.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni noted that her death “leaves a void in the world of contemporary art.” On X, users expressed shock and sorrow, with one post stating, “A visionary curator, cultural leader, and unwavering advocate for contemporary African art. Her legacy reshaped the global art world.”
As the art world mourns, Kouoh’s contributions endure through the institutions she built, the artists she championed, and the narratives she reshaped. Zeitz MOCAA has announced a temporary closure out of respect, and the future of the 2026 Venice Biennale remains uncertain. Yet, as Kouoh herself believed, her energy will continue to resonate, inspiring generations to come.
Rest in power, Koyo Kouoh.
AfroRadar.com is dedicated to celebrating African excellence and amplifying stories that shape the continent’s cultural landscape. For more follow us on X @AfroRadar.
