The Koyo Kouoh Foundation has launched in Basel, Switzerland, coinciding with the opening of the 2026 Venice Biennale, which features the late curator Koyo Kouoh's main exhibition "In Minor Keys." The foundation aims to continue Kouoh's work supporting contemporary African cultural production globally, including plans for the Koyo Kouoh Prize and a permanent home for the Koyo Kouoh Collection. It is led by her partner, saxophonist Philippe Mall, and includes board members such as artist Alfredo Jaar, curator Adrienne Edwards, and former Kunstmuseum Basel director Josef Helfenstein.
This matters because Kouoh was a transformative figure in the art world, having curated major international exhibitions including Documenta 12 and 13, the EVA International Biennial, and the 2026 Venice Biennale's main exhibition before her death. The foundation institutionalizes her legacy of supporting marginalized practices and structural change in cultural production, ensuring her vision for art as a life-sustaining strategy and her commitment to African and diasporic artists continues beyond her lifetime.