The Venice Biennale has officially announced the 111 artists, duos, and collectives selected for the 61st International Art Exhibition, titled "In Minor Keys." The exhibition follows the vision of the late Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh, who passed away in May 2024 after conceptualizing the show and selecting the majority of its participants. The roster features a diverse global lineup including Wangechi Mutu, Kader Attia, Khaled Sabsabi, and Laurie Anderson, with a curatorial focus on quiet resistance, poetic improvisation, and the "lower frequencies" of social and psychic life.
This edition is historic and poignant as it marks the first time the Biennale has moved forward with a posthumous exhibition for its lead curator. Kouoh would have been the first African woman to serve as artistic director, and her team—including advisors Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Marie Hélène Pereira, and Rasha Salti—is fulfilling her legacy by maintaining her focus on artists as vital interpreters of the human condition. Notably, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will not be awarded this year, reflecting the incomplete nature of the selection process prior to Kouoh’s death.