Kouoh's Team Opens 61st Venice Biennale After Her 2025 Death

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 14

Five colleagues and assistants completed Koyo Kouoh’s central show, “In Minor Keys,” for the 61st Venice Biennale after the curator died of liver cancer in May 2025, just months after her appointment.
About 110 creators feature in the exhibition, which was conceived as an “intimate and convivial” presentation that would slow the pace and turn from overt political conflict toward processions and poetry.
That vision has landed in a far more turbulent Biennale, with protests, counterprotests, investigations and resignations making this year’s edition one of the most contested in decades.
The decision to proceed without delay has also drawn scrutiny because Kouoh’s plans were still contingent when she died, raising questions about how fully her intended exhibition could be realized.

With its jury gone and vision contested, how does the world's most prestigious art show now define its success?

Can an artist's personal story truly be seen amidst the overwhelming political noise of the Venice Biennale?