Clarification: Koyo Kouoh Is Alive and Appointed as Curator of the 2026 Venice Biennale
There seems to be a misunderstanding in your question, as Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroonian-Swiss curator appointed as the primary African girl to steer the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, is alive and actively engaged in her function. Current experiences from respected sources, together with The New York Instances, The Guardian, and the official Venice Biennale web site, verify her appointment on December 3, 2024, and make no point out of her passing. The confusion could stem from misinformation or a mix-up with one other particular person, such because the late Nigerian curator Okwui Enwezor, who curated the 2015 Biennale and died in 2019.
Koyo Kouoh’s Historic Appointment
Koyo Kouoh, born in Douala, Cameroon, in 1967, is a outstanding determine within the world artwork world. Since 2019, she has served as the manager director and chief curator of the Zeitz Museum of Up to date Artwork Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape City, South Africa, the place she has championed African and diasporic artists by way of exhibitions like When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Portray (2022). Her appointment to curate the Venice Biennale, introduced by Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, marks a historic milestone, making her the primary African girl and the second African-born curator (after Enwezor) to helm the world’s oldest and most prestigious modern artwork exhibition.
In a press release, Kouoh expressed her enthusiasm, calling the function a “once-in-a-lifetime honor” and emphasizing her intent to create an exhibition that displays the present world whereas shaping its future. She described artists as “visionaries and social scientists” whose work will information her curatorial imaginative and prescient. Buttafuoco praised her as a “curator, scholar, and influential public determine” whose perspective aligns with the Biennale’s legacy of being “the house of the long run.”
Addressing the Misinformation
The declare that Koyo Kouoh has died isn’t supported by any credible sources. All out there experiences, dated as just lately as December 12, 2024, verify her energetic involvement in planning the 2026 Biennale, set to run from April to November. For instance, Observer famous her transformative management at Zeitz MOCAA and her historic function, whereas Artnet Information highlighted her dedication to world African artwork. No obituaries or experiences of her passing seem in main retailers or on platforms like X, the place such information would seemingly floor.
The rumor could have arisen from confusion with Okwui Enwezor’s loss of life in 2019, as he was the primary African-born curator of the Biennale, or from misinformation circulating on-line. Misinformation, as seen in current occasions like Operation Sindoor, can unfold quickly throughout high-profile moments, necessitating rigorous fact-checking. On this case, the absence of any corroborating proof and the presence of constant, current affirmations of Kouoh’s appointment dispel the declare.
Kouoh’s Background and Imaginative and prescient
Kouoh’s profession underscores her suitability for the Biennale function. Raised in Cameroon and Switzerland, she is fluent in English, French, German, and Italian, and holds levels in enterprise administration and cultural administration. Earlier than Zeitz MOCAA, she based RAW Materials Firm, an artwork middle in Dakar, Senegal, and contributed to main exhibitions like Documenta 12 (2007) and Documenta 13 (2012). Her curatorial work, together with Physique Discuss: Feminism, Sexuality and the Physique within the Works of Six African Ladies Artists (2015) and Nonetheless (the) Barbarians (2016), has constantly amplified marginalized voices, notably from Africa and its diaspora.
Her appointment has been seen as a counterbalance to issues about cultural conservatism below Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose authorities helps Biennale president Buttafuoco. Regardless of fears that the Biennale would possibly take a nationalistic flip, Kouoh’s choice indicators a dedication to internationalism and numerous views, aligning with the 2024 Biennale’s theme of “Foreigners In all places.”
Classes from Misinformation within the Digital Age
This incident highlights the benefit with which false narratives can emerge, particularly within the context of high-profile appointments that problem historic norms. As seen in my earlier article on Operation Sindoor, misinformation thrives in moments of heightened consideration, requiring proactive countermeasures like official statements and fact-checking. The Venice Biennale’s clear announcement and Kouoh’s public statements, resembling her interview with The New York Instances from Artwork Basel Miami in December 2024, present authoritative readability.
To forestall comparable confusion, stakeholders within the artwork world and past ought to:
- Depend on Major Sources: Official bulletins from the Biennale or Zeitz MOCAA are extra dependable than unverified social media posts.
- Interact Truth-Checkers: Impartial verification, as demonstrated by India’s PIB throughout Operation Sindoor, can swiftly debunk false claims.
- Promote Media Literacy: Encouraging audiences to cross-reference data, particularly throughout vital cultural moments, reduces the unfold of rumors.
Conclusion
Koyo Kouoh is alive and poised to make historical past as the primary African girl to curate the 2026 Venice Biennale, bringing her visionary method to a worldwide stage. The false declare of her loss of life underscores the significance of verifying data in an period the place misinformation can distort actuality. As Kouoh prepares to form an exhibition that speaks to “the world we wish to make,” her management reaffirms the Biennale’s function as a platform for transformative artwork and concepts. For correct updates on her work, observe trusted sources just like the Venice Biennale’s official web site or Zeitz MOCAA’s communications.
Sources: The New York Instances, The Guardian, La Biennale di Venezia, Artnet Information, Observer
Word: When you have particular issues in regards to the supply of this misinformation or want additional particulars on Kouoh’s curatorial plans, please let me know, and I can delve deeper!
