The 61st Biennale di Arte Venezia opens under the posthumous curatorial vision of Koyo Kouoh (1967–2025), the late Cameroonian-born curator who reshaped contemporary African and diasporic art discourse. The central exhibition, spanning the Giardini and Arsenale, features 111 participants including artists, collectives, and artist-led organizations from across the Global South, with works in textiles, film, sculpture, and performance that interrogate colonialism, migration, and ecological repair. The Biennale is also marked by a pronounced presence of African and diasporic narratives across national pavilions, including several first-time pavilions from the African continent.
This edition matters because it represents a major institutional shift in the art world's center of gravity, foregrounding Global South perspectives and relational histories over singular authorship. Kouoh's framework, developed before her passing, resists spectacle in favor of depth and dissolves rigid geographic boundaries, tracing diasporic circulations and shared epistemologies. The proliferation of African national pavilions signals a redistribution of visibility and power within the Venice Biennale, one of the world's most prestigious art events, and underscores the enduring influence of Kouoh's intellectual and institutional legacy.