Renowned African Art Curator Koyo Kouoh Dies at 57
By Wedaeli Chibelushi & Paul Njie | BBC News, London & Yaoundé
Koyo Kouoh, a pioneering figure in contemporary African art and one of the art world’s most influential voices, has passed away unexpectedly at age 57. The Cameroonian-born curator was at the peak of her career, preparing to make history as the first African woman to lead the prestigious Venice Biennale in 2024.
A Trailblazer in African Contemporary Art
Kouoh served as executive director and chief curator of Cape Town’s Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), one of the continent’s most significant art institutions. Her sudden death in Switzerland has sent shockwaves through the global art community, though the cause remains undisclosed.
South African artist Candice Breitz memorialized Kouoh as “magnificently intelligent, endlessly energetic and formidably elegant,” while Nigerian visual artist Otobong Nkanga praised her “warmth, generosity and brilliance.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni noted her passing “leaves a void in the world of contemporary art.”
From Cameroon to Global Art Stardom
Born in 1967 in Cameroon, Kouoh grew up in Douala before moving to Switzerland at 13. Though she studied business administration, she rejected finance, telling the New York Times: “I am fundamentally uninterested in profit.” Instead, she worked with migrant women before immersing herself in art.
After returning to Africa in 1996, Kouoh established herself in Dakar, Senegal, founding the influential Raw Material Company art center. “Dakar made me who I am today,” she told the Financial Times last week. “It’s the place I came of age professionally… I’m in Cape Town now but, mentally, I live in Dakar.”
Transforming Africa’s Art Landscape
Kouoh took over Zeitz MOCAA in 2019 during a crisis following its founding director’s resignation. She successfully steered the institution through the pandemic and scandal, curating acclaimed exhibitions like “When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting.”
In her final interview, Kouoh reflected on her spiritual beliefs: “I do believe in life after death… There is no ‘after death’, ‘before death’ or ‘during life’. I believe in energies – living or dead – and in cosmic strength.”
Zeitz MOCAA announced it would close temporarily “out of respect” following her passing. The art world mourns a visionary who championed African creativity on the global stage.
Source: BBC News