Tributes

It is seldom that one human being is able to affect so many people in their lifetime. The great Madame Koyo was one such giant. Her energy was tangible, her individuality unique, her insightful mind and capacity to create new pathways into hierarchies of culture, especially for women artists, has changed the shape of contemporary art history, Her influence will live on through others and the seeds that she sowed, nurtured and developed will grow into tall Baobab trees, nodding to the direction of the African continent.
You will not be forgotten!
Rest in power.

The sudden ending to such a vibrant life feels so cruel– so artistically cruel, to quote Dostoyevsky. But then one remembers the long passionate arguments about what art, African art, means for this moment. And one hears the big laughter. And the hard opinions softened with a gentle acknowledgment of the compromises required to navigate daily existence. “Les gens ont besoin d’exister,” she would say in that accent that couldn’t seem to make up its mind where it belonged. “People need to exist.” So long, old friend.

RAW Material Company
Zone B Villa 2°
BP 22170, Dakar – Senegal

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa
S Arm Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
Cape Town, 8001– South Africa

Piran, 16.5.2025

Dear esteemed colleagues and friends at Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town and RAW Material Company in Dakar,

it is with profound sorrow that we have learned of the passing of Koyo Kouoh — a towering figure in the contemporary art world, whose influence transcended institutional walls as well as the historical and geographic borders of our shared world.

Koyo Kouoh’s unwavering dedication to building inclusive, human-centered cultural institutions, and her deep commitment to empowering artists and cultural workers across the globe, have left an indelible mark on the international art community. Her recent appointment as Artistic Director of the 2026 Venice Biennale of Visual Arts was a historic milestone — a testament to the magnitude of her impact and the immense respect she garnered worldwide.

As we grieve, I feel especially grateful for the moments in which Koyo’s vision and presence intersected with my experiences and path. Alongside me — colleagues from across the Slovene art scene and the extended research academic community at Liverpool School of Art and Design’s Ehibition Reseach Lab — join in expressing our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to you, her extended professional family.

Our thoughts are with you, and with all who were fortunate enough to know and work with Koyo.

With respect and solidarity,
Mara Ambroži?
Director, Coastal Galleries of Piran
& Researcher ERL LJMU Liverpool

Together with:
Joasia Krysa, Professor Joasia Krysa, FHE Director, Institute of Art and Technology, LJMU Liverpool
Miran Mohar, artist and Vice-dean, AVA Academy of Visual Arts Ljubljana
Zdenka Badovinac, President of the Board of the Prešeren Found
Vadim Fishkin, artist and DUM co-founder, Ljubljana
Martina Vovk, Director of MG+MSUM, Ljubljana
Simona Vidmar, Director of UGM Maribor
Blaž Peršin, Director of the Museums and Galleries of Ljubljana
Nevenka Šivavec, Director of MGLC Ljubljana
Jasmina Cibic, artist, London and Ljubljana
Dragan Živadinov, artist and funder of KSEVT, e Cultural Centre of European Space Technologies, Vitanje
Apolonija Šušterši?, artist and architect, Oslo/Ljubljana and Dakar
Gabriela Saenger Silva, Doctoral researcher LJMU, Liverpool

View image

I’m at a loss! Thank you Koyo for your vision and passion in highlighting and foregrounding the work of African artists. You gave me my first solo on the continent on which I was born; something I didn’t dare think would ever happen after a whole life time away! You touched me personally, professionally and spiritually, and for that I will always cherish your memory and attempt to follow your example in my work to educate and inspire the artists of the future.
Mary Evans

A giant has left our midst and has moved on to the ancestral realm. But what a legacy she has left behind! She was a true inspiration and fierce champion for African artistic intelligence. We who follow in her footsteps tread boldly as she has shown the way. Many thanks Madame Koyo for having graced us with your visionary energy and unwavering commitment to the arts.

Koyo was a visionary whose voice, leadership, and curatorial brilliance shifted the cultural landscape of our time. Through her work she championed African perspectives with intellectual depth, fearlessness, and unmatched integrity.

I had the privilege of engaging with Koyo through BMW’s long-standing partnership with Zeitz MOCAA and her supporting the BMW Young Collectors Co. initiative. In every interaction, she brought clarity, purpose, and a deep commitment to authenticity. Koyo pushed us to think beyond traditional models of sponsorship — to see our work not as transactional, but as part of a greater cultural responsibility.

Her ability to hold space — for artists, for ideas, for complexity — was extraordinary. She inspired me to approach partnerships with greater thoughtfulness and to advocate for artistic and cultural voices with courage and conviction.

Koyo’s legacy lives on in the countless lives she influenced, the institutions she transformed, and the future she dared to imagine for the arts on this continent.
It was an honour to witness a part of her journey.

With deep respect and admiration.

It was an enormous privilege to work with Koyo Kouoh on the Thames & Hudson book that accompanied the exhibition When We See Us. I will never forget her meeting style, which was extraordinarily democratic yet focused. She had great leadership qualities as well as being a fascinating and innovative curator. She will be sorely missed and I extend my sincere condolences to her husband, family, friends and colleagues.

È morta a 58 anni Koyo Kouoh, curatrice della prossima Biennale Arte di Venezia

Kouoh, nominata lo scorso dicembre, sarebbe stata la prima curatrice africana della Biennale Arte, in programma nel 2026. Il mondo dell’arte piange una figura di grande spessore e di levatura internazionale. Read More

Dear Koyo, when we (KEYTI and I) heard about your sudden passing it was night time in the Netherlands and I saw a post by Selly Raby Kane about your sudden death. We were in such a state of shock and disbelief when we realised you had departed the physical realm.

Even though I never met you in person, through the stories of my husband I got to know you a little.

He was/is so fond of you, telling me about how kind you always were to him, always encouraging him to come with new ideas to the table. Whenever you were in Dakar you would ask: when are you coming for lunch?

I have listened to so many interviews of you online, thirsty for your knowledge and humanity. Your vibrant energy, your reckless love for the people first, before the art, has always touched me.

I will be forever grateful to have known you, even if just a little. You have left a permanent mark on my life.

To the family: I wish you so much love and strength in this difficult time.

Rest in power and peace beloved Koyo.

Koyo Kouoh – Chalk and Ink on Paper

On the night the Zeitz MOCAA team were being hosted for dinner by Ilze Wolff and her wonderful family, and in the presence of Judge Albie Sacks, Koyo came to me and said something like, “Barnabas, why are you still sitting down? What are your feet meant for?” She pulled me up and we danced together. I hardly dance at parties or gatherings, but this is a beautiful memory that will forever stay with me.

I am sharing a beautiful poster from the week I met Koyo for the first time at the Centre for Curating the Archive at the University of Cape Town in 2015. She facilitated a workshop with our Honours in Curatorship Studies class. Right from the start I was struck by her pan-African thinking and how much the recognition and elevation of African voices meant to her. She shifted my perception of Africa in a big way.

I will continue to honour her excellent work. Rest in Power Koyo Kouoh!

Asante kwa mbegu ulizopanda, ziote na kuwa miti mikubuwa ya Mbuyu. Tutaendelea kupigania mustakabali wa jumuiya yetu.

I am heartbroken and in shock at the news of Koyo Kouoh’s passing. This photo was taken just a couple of months ago at Bozar in Brussels, I still can’t believe she’s gone!!

I had the privilege of meeting Koyo two summers ago and was deeply honored to be part of her exhibition. Her radiant presence, sharp intellect, and visionary curatorial practice left a lasting impression on me. She had a rare ability to connect people across borders, and through her, I met collaborators and friends who are now part of my creative community.
Koyo’s work reshaped the cultural landscape, always with joy, brilliance, and fearless commitment. She led with generosity and an expansive global perspective that inspired so many.

Rest in power, Koyo. Your light is eternal!!!!

Koyo Kouoh was a visionary whose unwavering commitment to the arts reshaped the cultural landscape not only in Africa but globally. Her leadership at Zeitz MOCAA was marked by courage, clarity, and a deep sense of purpose. She championed voices that needed to be heard and created spaces where art could challenge, heal, and inspire.

It was a privilege to witness her brilliance and generosity of spirit. Her legacy will continue to guide and uplift generations of artists, curators, and thinkers. May her light continue to shine through the work she so passionately nurtured.

With deepest respect and gratitude, Adi Tobias (Private Clients by Old Mutual Wealth)

Dear all at Zeitz MOCAA,

It is with profound sorrow and disbelief that we at Segera and the Zeitz Foundation received the heartbreaking news of Koyo Kouoh’s sudden passing.

We are still at a loss for words about this devastating moment—for art, for Africa,
and for the world.

Koyo was a visionary of unmatched passion and purpose. This tragic loss is a stark reminder of the fragility of life, and of the importance of living each day with the fullness of spirit and intention that Koyo embodied so completely through her leadership and unwavering commitment to justice and beauty. Her legacy will live on in the walls of the museum she shaped, in the countless lives she touched,
and in the future she helped to imagine for African art.

We extend our deepest condolences to Koyo’s family, to the entire Zeitz MOCAA community, and to all those who walked with her on this extraordinary journey.

We mourn with you and we honour Koyo’s memory—today and always.

With heartfelt sympathy,

I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Koyo Kouoh. Her vision, courage, and dedication to contemporary African art have left an indelible mark on the art world.

Please accept my sincere condolences. Farida and Henri Seydoux join me in expressing our deepest sympathy to you and to all who were close to her.

Warm regards,

Koyo’ s supreme intellect; her passion for service; her personal power and charisma defined her leadership at ZeitzMOCAA and ignited a deep admiration and affection from all of us fortunate enough to be in her circle from time to time. She leaves a profoundly important legacy which will be honored by all the artists’s lives and work she lifted up.

A sad loss indeed to the world of Art. May your dear soul be shrouded in eternal light and be at peace always and forever. I feel that I got to know about you through the impacts you had on my daughter, Zakirah. May your soul be at peace.

Such a tremendous loss for all who love and support art in South Africa, and across the continent and the world. May she continue to inspire young women to follow her lead.

On behalf of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe and on my own behalf, the untimely departure of Koyo come as a shock to us. Having known Koyo since 2004 until know as a big sister and a cultural leader whose passion to change the African Art eco System at heart. I have walked my curatorial journey with many other curators that include my big sister Koyo. The recent exhibition when we see us, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe was one of the partner. To my sister Koyo allow me to say, go well and you fought a good fight by carrying the touch for contemporary African Art into the global art eco System. To zeitz mocaa also allow me to say, your lose is our lose too.

Dear Koyo,

While we mourn the untimely passing of a profound force for culture, history, learning and artistic life, we take comfort in the enduring impact of your legacy. This will live on, and your presence will continue to be felt in the minds of tomorrow and many generations to come. We are lost for words, but forever grateful for your work.

Pamela – on behalf of all at Google Arts & Culture

My husband and I are profoundly shocked and saddened to hear such very tragic news and send our deepest condolences and sympathy to Koyo’s family, friends and colleagues.

Tribute to Koyo Kouoh

In honoring the extraordinary Koyo Kouoh, we celebrate a visionary whose commitment to contemporary African art has reshaped global narratives. Through her curatorial brilliance, fierce intellect, and unwavering dedication, she has carved space for radical imagination and critical discourse—elevating voices that were too often overlooked. Koyo’s leadership at institutions like RAW Material Company and Zeitz MOCAA has not only expanded the boundaries of art but has ignited generations of artists, thinkers, and curators across the diaspora.

Her legacy is not just in the exhibitions she has mounted or the platforms she has built, but in the boldness she inspires—reminding us all that art is not only a mirror, but a weapon, a refuge, and a declaration.

With deep respect and gratitude, we salute you, Koyo.

Your legacy will live on Koyo!

It is with a heavy heart that I write this tribute in honour of an extraordinary soul whose passing leaves a deep silence in the world of art and in my own heart.

She was a fearless African woman—graceful in her presence, passionate in her purpose. A teacher in the truest sense.Through her, I learned to see art not just as expression, but as a sacred act—an extension of life itself. She opened doors, gently but firmly, showing me that art is a mirror, a refuge, and a bridge between who we are and who we are becoming.

In her eyes, art was not a luxury but a necessity. Madame showed how it could carry memory, ignite change, and ground identity. She lived and breathed the belief that creativity is our birthright, and in doing so, she inspired countless others to step boldly into their own stories.

Though her voice is now quiet, her impact echoes loudly. I will forever be grateful for her courage, and for the beautiful way she lived: with grace, with purpose,

Your legacy lives on in every brushstroke, photograohy and sculpture one every gallery walk, every act of brave expression.

Thank you Koyo for teaching us humility, collectiveness and valuing each other. It is about the people, you said, the artwork is collateral. We have had so much to learn from you and will continue learning from your incredible legacies. We are blessed to have had your presence.

Koyo Kouoh’s legacy of excellence, inclusivity, and intellectual rigor will continue to inspire generations of artists and curators. May her memory be a source of comfort and strength to all who knew and admired her.

. . .

I exist
as a human being
fusing with the sphere

purified in mind
leading to a clear vision
far out of reach

counting teardrops
to the fullest satisfaction
burst into tears of joy

full of joie de vivre
hovering in time and space
now and forever

. . .

© Courtesy of the artist

Ruhe in Frieden —
Koyo Kouoh

Koyo, you will be dearly missed – Your wisdom and impact on the Art ecospace of Cape Town, South Africa, The Continent and the World will be felt for generations to come – Thank you for your dedication to change – my deepest condolences to your family and the team at Zeitz

Though she is no longer with us, her memory will continue to inspire and guide us every day. Rest in peace,You will be profoundly missed but never forgotten.

As an artist, having worked with Koyo Kouoh was one of the richest and gratifying experiences. Her intergrity as well as her smart insights in art works and the constellation of those into exhibitions or publications has made a lasting impression. On me, and on many in the world who have seen, perceived and participated in her efforts. Her sense of life, fun and the beauty of it all, has also left a lasting mark. I can only thank her still for all she has done for me and so many others. Oh how I will miss her…

Too soon

Thank you for your mentorship, your openness, and your dedication to care and purpose. I will miss you, and the you I didn’t get a chance to meet in person. Blessings upon blessings

It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, Ms. Koyo Kouoh.

Pre-eminent art manager and the first African woman to be appointed curator of the Venice Biennale, Koyo Kouoh raised the voice and protagonism of black and African art in the world.

When I met her, I could personally witness her vast knowledge of Brazilian modern art and her commitment to promoting young Brazilian artists of African descent. I was particularly touched by her emotional and affective bond with my country.

My most sincere condolences to Zeitz Museum’s staff and to Ms. Kouoh’s friends and relatives.

Fernando Apparicio da Silva
Consul General do Brazil in Cape Town

Thank you for your vision, your fearlessness, and the way you moved with elegance and conviction. Real G.O.A.T energy! You reminded myself and many that art is not just something we admire — it’s something we carry, protect, and share. I’m dedicating the completion of the mobile museum to you, and will see it through into communities — as a vessel for joy, learning, and access, just as you would’ve wanted. May your legacy continue to rise, just like the people you inspired. Long live Koyo!

I have been living for one year in CT and MOCAA was one of my most apreciated places to go to. I met Mrs Kouoh twice at a meeting for members and I wish I had told her how much I admire her most important and enourmous work for african art and Mocca. Of course I saw
the exhibition also in Basel, very nice but not the same. I wish I could afford to fly over from Switzerland twice a year to see your exhibitions. Thank you Mrs Kouoh and all the other curators

Dear Koyo,

You have touched so many lives with immense grace… We are all aching from the absence of your physical presence. And yet, your clarity of vision, your fierce commitment, have left behind a legacy that continues to illuminate us all.

You are a legend, a force of nature. Your essence endures in all you inspired, in every artist you empowered, in every institution you transformed. Always transcending borders, you continue to transform the very core of who we are, undeniably, irrevocably.

Like you, my African upbringing was guided by strong pillars—my mother, my grandmother, my aunts, a whole village of women. We were raised with the deep belief that life does not end in this realm. That is why we speak to our ancestors. That is why I speak to you today, knowing you are listening, present, now part of the invisible circle of those who have transcended.

Not long ago — now a vivid, treasured memory I keep returning to — I danced with you, and we smiled at life. Oh, what a beautiful dance it was. The smiles we exchanged will forever live in my heart. We shared our final celebration in a temple of the arts, a sacred refuge for the artist’s soul: the atrium of Zeitz MOCAA. There, you stood like a high priestess, guiding our rituals, our ceremonies… a radiant light among us.

To your luminous spirit, and to your tireless fight for the recognition of contemporary African art, the world bows in reverence. You are a grande dame of the arts, a cultural force whose impact is indelible.

Unforgettable Madame Koyo, thank you.

It was a privilege to walk this path of life alongside you.

I say farewell. À Dieu, dear sister.

I’m heartbroken by the untimely passing of Koyo Kouoh — a visionary curator, an inspiring leader, and a powerful voice for art and justice. Just as the global art world was eagerly anticipating her curatorial direction for the upcoming Venice Biennale, we are devastated to lose her brilliance far too soon.

Through her groundbreaking exhibitions and bold leadership at Zeitz MOCAA, Koyo reshaped how we see and understand contemporary art, especially from the African continent and diaspora. She nourished our belief in the power of culture to transform.

Her legacy will continue to guide us. Today, we mourn a monumental loss, but we also give thanks for all she shared with us and the paths she opened for so many.

With deepest respect and sorrow.

Dearest friend, with your arrival to Cape Town, we connected in our soul.

Meeting your husband and your son, was such a privilege. Upon learning of your cancer from you I was shocked. I never thought the end was so near.

You are gone from sight but you will remain in my heart. I wished I could contact your family.

I wasn’t deeply familiar with Koyo Kouoh’s work and legacy before her passing—a shortcoming on my part. As a Black American working in the arts and now traveling frequently across the African continent, I’ve recently come to appreciate the depth and brilliance of her contributions. Her unwavering commitment to Africa, to reshaping how Africans are seen in the arts, and to uplifting women and communities is truly inspiring. I pray we remain privileged to witness and build upon the lasting impact of her life’s work now that she has transcended. I pray that God and the ancestors be with her and her family.

Dear colleagues at Zeitz,

In the name of all at Bozar – Brussels, we would like to express our deepest condolences to you on the loss of Koyo, your awe-inspiring director and caring mentor, who was so strong in transmitting new ideas and so full of boundless energy.

While she was blazing like a comet across the firmament, we can only imagine what a shock her unexpected disappearance must be for you all and the void she must leave.
We are sending you strength to mourn the passing of this unique voice and contagious smile.

We are very proud that we could work with her and with you all on “When We See Us,” such a groundbreaking exhibition.
Know that you are all in our thoughts at this very difficult time.

Our heartfelt wishes,

Christophe Slagmuylder, CEO & Artistic Director
Zoë Gray, Director of Exhibitions
And all the colleagues at Bozar

I deeply admired Koyo Kouoh’s work. When We See Us at Zeitz MOCAA left a lasting impression on me. A remarkable curator, gone too soon.

My sincere condolences to her family and the Zeitz MOCAA team. Her impact was profound, and her legacy will endure.

In Recife, looking at an old map of the Atlantic, you pointed out how close we were to Western Africa. While working in Oslo on Issa’s show, you somehow recreated the feeling of being Senegal. And in Dakar you made everyone feel welcome, connected to the place and to the things that were going on there. You are still doing that, connecting people, places and ideas in ways only a very few can do, and I suspect you will continue to do so for a long time. Thank you.

The light you taught us to bend and hold
now filters dim through canvas folds—
a hush where once your voice would rise,
like charcoal tracing truth from lies.

Your hands, both stern and merciful,
sculpted silence into something full;
with words you did try the world to tame,
you did the work without signing your name.

We gathered at your mission’s side
like students in a changing tide,
each question you did not unlace
became a shadow in the space.

Grief now moves in palette tones—
umber, indigo, dusty bones—
a softer brush across the years,
a thinner glaze of salted tears.

Yet still, your vision haunts the frame:
the way you saw beyond the same.
You showed us art was breath and fight,
not always beauty, but always light.

So now we march with you in mind—
each step a prayer, each breath, a sign.
Though time may smudge what we recall,
your hand, dear guide, still steadies all.

Hearing the news today of Koyo Kouoh’s tragic passing, I am flooded with memories of my first encounter with her so many years ago. It was May 2014, in Dakar, Senegal, during the Dakar Biennale. I was with a group of Michaelis Masters students and we went to visit the legendary Raw Materials company. It was no simple time – the organization, which Koyo founded and ran, was literally under siege at the time because it dared to show an exhibition that told stories of the local LGBTQ community. There were threats, stone throwing, rage. Koyo was fearless, even in that moment. Nothing could stop her from doing the work she believed needed to be done. Many years since, only last month, my last encounter with her at a partner event at Zeitz MOCAA , where I represented AVA Gallery, she talked with emphasis and conviction about how “size does not matter, content matters”. Truth. Rest in power, Koyo, your legacy will live on, but our hearts are filled with deep sadness.

Koyo travel well goddess

Dear Koyo , thank you for the dedicated and love you’ve shown South African art . Through your ove , you were able to show case the multi talented art jin SA and in Africa and to the rest of the world. Rest easy Queen.

The world will always remember your part in and our lives. To the team at Zeitz Museum, may we continue to share her stories . Thank you giving us such an amazing woman.
RIP Koyo ? ??

D’Begegnig mit dir isch e grossi Freud gsi.

There are names that echo through our field long before we encounter their bearers. Koyo Kouoh was such a name—one that appeared in bibliographies when Eurocentric art history texts failed to mention her contributions, one that surfaced in exhibition catalogues and critical essays, one that commanded attention at gallery openings across Paris where, as a student, I would watch her move through spaces with the quiet authority of someone who belonged everywhere and belonged to herself.

With Madame Koyo Kouoh’s passing, the art world lost not merely a curator or critic, but a magician—someone who conjured space where none existed, who transformed exclusion into invitation, who made the impossible seem inevitable.

Koyo was comfortable in all spheres because she understood something fundamental: that claiming space and making space are not separate acts, but two movements in the same revolutionary dance. She took her place at tables where African voices had been systematically silenced, then pulled up chairs for the rest of us.

Central to her work was an unwavering commitment to Pan-Africanism as lived practice. She reminded us constantly of our pre-colonial friendships, of the networks of solidarity that have always existed across our continent, of the importance of community-building that transcends artificial borders. Through the Zeitz MOCAA & UWC Museum Fellowship programme—a training ground for young African curators from the continent and diaspora—Koyo created concrete opportunities for professional development whilst insisting we take pride in our African citizenship and heritage.

Her approach was particularly meaningul for those of us working between different African contexts. As an Algerian curator, I felt the particular warmth of her insistence on solidarity between Subsaharan and North Africa. “We are brothers and sisters,” she would remind us, “and we must have platforms for our bonds—diplomatic and cultural.” She understood that our divisions were colonial wounds that needed healing, not permanent scars to be accepted.

Perhaps, most importantly, Koyo taught us to lead with our strenghts rather our historical grievances. She refused victimhood narratives, she was empowering in the truest sense—she gave us power we didn’t know we possessed, then taught us how to wield it with grace and purpose.
When I once mentioned struggling with imposter syndrome as a young professional, Koyo offered wisdom I carry still: “This syndrome will stay with you throughout your entire life,” she said. “If you don’t have imposter syndrome, it means you don’t constantly question yourself, and only sociopaths never question their sense of being.”
Fearless she was, and fearless she made us want to be. She didn’t promise the path would be easy—she promised it would be worth walking.

Koyo gave me the courage to take up space boldly, to speak with authority, to trust my voice even when—especially when—it challenges established narratives. Her legacy lives in every young curator who now stands a little straighter, speaks a little louder, dreams a little bigger because she showed us how.

The art world will remember Koyo Kouoh as a curator, critic, and cultural leader. Those of us fortunate enough to call her mentor will remember her as the woman who taught us that our heritage is something to wear like armour—beautiful, protective, and unmistakably ours.

Thank you Madame. The path you carved for us continues forward, lit by your example, sustained by your teachings, blessed by your fierce and generous spirit.

Walk Well.

Yasmina Ali Yahia
Alumni, Zeitz MOCAA & UWC Museum Fellowship Programme Cohort 2024-2025

Koyo was a true light in the world, serious, fun, respectful, inclusive, playful, thoughtful, and visionary.

I met Koyo in 2007 through Documenta 12. The Artist I worked with George Osodi participated and his thought provoking installation of the Oil Rich Niger Delta attracted great interest. Shortly afterwards he was commissioned in 2008 by the curator Stina Hogvist at the National museum, Oslo to create a mirror work of his Nigerian oil series re the oil business in Norway. Koyo was involved and saw that George who tackles issues would be perfect for her next project she was co curating with Charlotte Bagger Brandt at the Charlottenborg for 2009 “Make Yourself at Home” . I will never forget us spending days together setting up the project in the depths of winter at a vast empty remote building with deep snow everywhere right by the side of a frozen lake. It was surreal. We were not really dressed for it. The place was empty apart from us. There was me ,a Jamaican with Koyo and George, two Africans, in this vast snowbound frozen landscape. We became friends and collaborators and have had a number of adventures together. After the Bozar 2010 David Adjaye show, Koyo had her opening show in Oct 2010 of the physical space for RAW material in Dakar, and her curatorial career took off. She was every women’s kind of woman, kind and generous , straight talking and wise.

Love and Light

Koyo was a principled and firm person. Once she made a decision, she stood by it. This quality shines through the many projects she initiated and saw through to their end. She will be missed for her resilience and sheer presence. Rest in peace, Koyo.

Intelligent, humble, passionate about African art. Recognized worldwide except in her native Cameroon. What a shame. Rest in peace Marie Noëlle K. KOUOH, my dear classmate in 1980/81, at Libermann College in Douala. You will be celebrated forever for your work of valuing our art, so precious. May the Lord grant you the grace of eternal rest. My prayers are with your family.

In memory of Koyo Kouoh

Submitting this piece from my Future Ancestors series as tribute to a visionary who understood that museums aren’t neutral spaces – they’re sites where cultural futures get negotiated.

Koyo Kouoh spent decades proving that contemporary African art wasn’t emerging or arriving – it was already here, demanding institutions catch up to its sophistication. She refused the colonial gaze that treats African creativity as ethnographic curiosity, instead insisting on intellectual parity and aesthetic complexity.

Her curatorial practice embodied what I explore through Future Ancestors: the recognition that cultural stewardship means creating conditions where multiple futures can flourish simultaneously, where tradition and innovation exist in quantum superposition rather than false opposition.

This image imagines futures where cultural gatekeeping dissolves, where the aesthetic intelligence Kouoh championed becomes the new institutional DNA. She didn’t just curate exhibitions – she prototyped possibilities for what cultural institutions could become when they stop extracting and start regenerating.

Rest in power to someone who understood that honoring ancestors means creating space for futures they couldn’t yet imagine.

Thank you Koyo for everything. For your warmth, deep care, and radiant humanness. Will love and miss you always.

Hello,

My name is Binta and I would like to express my deepest condolences for the loss of Koyo Kouoh. It took me several days to be able to write to you now.

The passing of Koyo has left me very emotional (mourning for so many who have left this life in such a horrible way) and at the same time in a deep state of gratitude for all the years she has been with us. I am writing to you because I would like to tell you about my relationship with Koyo, whom I never got to know physically, but through her practice, interviews, texts, as a companion or path-builder.
She paved the way for me and so many in so many ways. I didn’t realise before how big the role she plays in my life is. But I can say that she (and the work of a few others) has expanded the radius of my imagination for a possible becoming, of dreaming, of being, of acting, of thriving towards an otherwise.

With this, I send a warm hug.
Binta

long live koyo
<3

Koyo taught me to stand bold in my opinions, within my questions, and in my work.

Rest in peace dearest Koyo. Go with Love and Grace. Thank you for your vision that you generously shared with the world.

As we bid farewell to our Marie-Nöelle Koyo the weight of her absence leaves a void that echoes through our hearts. A painful reminder of life’s delicate, fleeting nature and thus we say let her memory be an eternal blessing.

It takes time…

I got to know RAW Material Company when I was still on the other side of the continent. From the East Coast, I discovered that there existed in Senegal a place like nowhere else, which concentrated everything that young art practitioners had always dreamed of. I wondered who could be the visionary behind all this… and I told myself that if one day my steps took me there, I’d be really lucky. So it happened, I moved to Senegal and I followed all the RAW programmes very assiduously. Then one day, I was given by Koyo the opportunity to join this incredible team, who welcomed me and supported me in my ongoing work, both professionally and personally. I owe them a lot.

Koyo didn’t go unnoticed, and it was impossible not to see her when she entered a room. She had an innate class, a polished aura and, above all, time and attention for everyone. When she believed in you, it was a priceless gift: she knew how to give confidence with honesty, without sycophancy or frills… she supported and trained a whole generation of artists and curators because she believed above all in people. Today we can feel her in all of us, and her singular energy is perceptible at RAW Material Company. Like many people, I’m infinitely grateful to her for everything she’s done.

“The morning you went into hospital, I wrote you a long message. I’ll never know if you read it. It ended like this: ‘I am forever grateful to you’. I borrow words from others that have softened the pain of the last few weeks. Fatima Bintou Rassoul Sy reminded us how incredibly lucky we were to have met you, to have more than crossed your path… to have eaten with you, danced with you, listened to you and debated with you, but above all to have learned from you. Ami Weickaane told me that all we have to do now is continue to water the seeds you sowed. Above all, let’s stop dragging our feet to say thank you, sorry and that we love each other”.

I think of you every day as I am writing my thesis, because everything you’ve created at RAW and elsewhere keeps bringing me back to you. I set to work trying to design a path that will do you honour… I’m thinking of your family, your countless friends (some, others, and …), your Team, the Amazons and your colleagues. To all that you have achieved and all that they will achieve after you… in the furrow you have traced with such energy, perseverance and generosity…

Godspeed…

Koyo left an indelible mark on our organization and her legacy will continue to inspire us

Rest in Peace Madam Koyo

Your smile and hugs would radiate joy, warmth and happiness wherever you went. Your words would inspire us to follow the path you laid for us and give us purpose. While you are gone your spirit lives on in the lives you have touched and the programs you helped direct and shape. Thank you for the few years we had together, teaching me and talking to me so deeply it sank into my bones. I will miss your radiance, your energy and pure generosity of time and spirit. Your legacy will continue.

Thank you for everything Madame Koyo. It has been to lovely to experience your being through the words of those you impacted so deeply at your memorial service. You have inspired so many and inspired me in so many ways. The urgency with which you wanted to achieve the things which you knew were necessary for our ecosystem is something I will take with me always. I pray more of your words will be written about so that many other curators, collectors and artists and other ecosystem participants will always be able to learn from you. Rest in peace dear Madame and condolences to your family and colleagues

I first heard of Koyo almost 25 years ago, shortly after I began working in Dakar. I was trying to find a way into the arts world, and people kept telling me, “You need to meet Koyo.” At the time, she was working at the U.S. Embassy. I don’t know exactly why I was so eager to connect with her, but deep down, I think I was simply looking to talk to and connect with another African woman who was building her career on the continent, which is what I was setting out to do.

We never met back then, but as fate would have it, we found ourselves in the same rooms and spaces many years later.

One of our first real encounters was at her place in Cape Town. She invited a small group of us over for dinner, and it was just a relaxed, beautiful evening. I loved how unapologetically African and Black she was. How she challenged, how she gave sisterly advice about relationships, about building a life and career, about pushing ourselves and each other to do more. She had a way of encouraging you to build and to take risks. And of course, there was her incredible sense of style, her flair, her quirks—all the things that made her such an exciting and unforgettable person.

I miss her deeply. But I also feel a renewed sense of urgency about continuing the collective work she so powerfully inspired.

I hear you didn’t find it worth it if it wasn’t a risk
Ordinary is basic
And you always seeked more

To be the first black women to curate at the biennale was a dream
But you manifested into reality

And when the ink dried,
You asked yourself
“What’s next?”

What initiative would need your vision, leadership and spirit?
Your wonder echoed in the ethos
Like sound vibrating in minor keys
Subtle but deeply felt.

And it replied, with an appointment in the board of directors
They need a new perspective of how to save the world through art
No better candidate than you, madam

Your Biennale theme is more than art,
It’s a conversation.
One whispered between you and your spiritual guides,
In a language only stars could teach.

You’ve studied the Morse code in each twinkle,
Read the braille of constellations.
You knew the sky wasn’t just to be admired
It was meant to be lived in.
Transcendence was always the goal.

You walked into a new realm
Beyond what we know,
Into the abstract,
Because what is life if we don’t risk everything to connect
With the divine unknown?

And in your exploration,
You’ll find a way to bring us knowledge .
I believe you always do.
Because for you,
Learning is everything.
But teaching?
That’s where your magic lives

I had the chance to thank you in person during the last Biennale at Selebe Yoon. I held your hands and said, “Thank you.”
You smiled and replied, “Pas de quoi, Djibril.”

But there is so much to thank you for.

If I have been able to create, to exhibit, to stand as both artist and exhibition maker—it’s because of you.
Because you cleared the path with your courage, your vision, and your refusal to compromise.
Because you believed in us before the world caught up.

My experience with the Curatorial Intensive in 2016—something you made possible—was a turning point.
It gave me tools, but more than that, it gave me the permission to deconstruct.
To unlearn, to question, to rebuild from a place that is grounded in who we are.
That experience lit a fire in me that continues to burn through every project, every gesture, every image.

You didn’t just open doors—you broke down walls. You held space for us to become.

Koyo, your legacy lives in institutions, yes—but more profoundly, in people. In those of us who carry your lessons, your light, and your example.

Thank you—for everything.
Djibril DRAME

You are an inspiration! Zeitz MOCAA and everything it stands for and everything it shares. Thank you for your legacy.

Dear Koyo,

Thank you for seeing us.
Thank you for your unstinting faith in what we could be.
Thank you for showing us the path less trod.
Thank you for being the mirror to what an exemplar could be.
And thank you for allowing us to share that mirror with you.

Koyo had this ability to conjure , manifest and wield a power so great it was beyond our reach. It reached into the hearts and minds of all of the bodies she chose to embrace. She had a knowing, an all knowing and re-membering , of who we are as a people who belong to the land. At first I was almost petrified of her, not in a way that made me feel in any way uncomfortable. It was more that I held her in reverence much like I do the ocean. From the way she gracefully moved through the landscapes to her ability to show kindness and love to even me. She made me feel seen, and acknowledged the abilities that even I could not see in myself. She made me feel like Zeitz belonged to me too.

Oh Koyo Kouoh our hearts will break over and over again, until we meet in the next realm. Sleep softly. All of my love,
Traci Kwaai

Koyo meant so much to so many. She understood that power and that voice. When I asked her about the representation of a particular group in HER biennale, her response was an emphatic “of course, front and center!”. Indeed she was the front, the center, the all things, the everything to everyone everywhere all at once. I can make no better tribute than to use her own words, in celebration of her earthly and celestial being:
“I do believe in life after death because I come from an ancestral Black education where we believe in parallel lives and realities. There is no “after death”, “before death” or “during life”. It doesn’t matter that much. I believe in energies – living or dead – and in cosmic strength.”
Sending much love to Koyo in the cosmos and to all who loved her and love her forever
Alia Al-Senussi

Rest in power!
Your life’s work made such an impact
A true inspiration you were even from a distance
You touched and impacted the lives of even those who never got to meet you
I know because you made a lasting impact in mine!

The blaxTARLINES community mourns the loss of a beacon in African art. Koyo Kouoh’s pioneering initiatives in curatorship, art administration, institution- and community-building, deep research, and publishing have inspired countless professionals while opening new portals into the realms of art and related fields for now and later generations. Her commitment to engaging with, and prioritizing, artists’ voices has been exemplary. We are inspired by her work and look to continue the relentless task of creating, nurturing, and transforming conditions for art in Africa and elsewhere. Rest well Madame.

Nante yie…

blaxTARLINES KUMASI

I first remember encountering Koyo Kouoh on the page, reading one of her Condition Reports while working with Brendan Embser at The Walther Collection’s New York Project Space in 2015. Soon thereafter, through his kind introduction, I met her within the context of 1-54’s first New York Edition (2015). Over the following years, I would be quietly dazzled by her whenever she stopped by the Project Space.

In early 2020, having moved on from The Walther Collection and started my Ph.D., Koyo threw me a curatorial lifeline in the form of an invitation: to join her team for the 8th Triennial of Photography Hamburg (2022), alongside Rasha Salti, Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, and Cale Garrido. For this project, she took up the notion of Currency, stretching its significance as an economic indicator into the sphere of visual culture and towards a critical examination of photography. Within her collective constellation of incredible thinkers and makers, I imbibed a vision of curatorial practice as ethical commitment and total lifestyle.

Over many conversations, site visits, meals and meetings, I became attuned to her crisp interventions, formidable intuition, and astute practice of listening. I benefitted from her long embraces and hand squeezes. From Koyo, I learned how to gather peoples’ stories and social lives as much as their artistic works and philosophical positions; how to embrace the internationalism embedded in one’s autobiography; how to compose in space and think in relation; how to articulate one’s political commitments through aesthetic rigour; and always—how to insist on generosity, hospitality, and humanity in the process.

Koyo was a walking ecosystem. Omnivorous in her artistic interests, incisive in her political analysis, she deftly exploded disciplinary siloes—all the while committed to the importance of spiritual seriousness, embodied knowledge, and a good dash of mischief within one’s curatorial practice. She was an institution builder (see: RAW Material Company in Dakar) and re-builder (see: Zeitz MoCAA Cape Town), and somehow, all the while made space for so many people, places, and projects in her life. For African women in particular, she saw swiftly into the heart of our lived experiences and emotional sensitivities, finding them just as important to sharpen as our conceptual references, formal inclinations, or professional experiences. Koyo enlivened and expanded a sense of possibility for a generation of African curators across the globe, encouraging us to be courageous and committed, centering artists and community in all that we do, wherever we are. She was an impeccable tactician, protective mentor, introspective thinker, and deeply poetic soul.

Missing you deeply dearest Koyo, ever elegant and indefatigable.
A total curator, an incredible being—so utterly yourself.

The first time I encountered Koyo was at a public discussion between her Tandazani Dhlakama to welcome her into her leadership role at Zeitz MOCAA. I quickly realised that I was in the presence of a true visionary. The life lesson I took home with me that day concerned the deep value of connections and community. She encouraged everyone present to honour the people with whom they shared that power spark of collaboration and connection—to include them, take them with them at every given moment—to kindle the energy. Little did I know, at that moment, that I would have the privilege and pleasure of working with Koyo and her team on two epic book projects for Zeitz MOCAA. I give thanks for that life blessing. Her directness, poetic presence and innate pizzazz never failed to wow me. When she spoke, people woke up and listened—and I was among them, enchanted, in her thrall. Rest in peace and power, dear Madame Koyo. You burned so brightly.