How Will Critics Handle Koyo Kouoh's Posthumous Venice Biennale?

Martin Herbert questions how critics will approach the 61st Venice Biennale, titled 'In Minor Keys', after artistic director Koyo Kouoh died of cancer in May 2025 at age 57. The exhibition, based on her drafted concept and completed by a curatorial team, opens 9 May through 22 November 2026. Herbert notes that posthumous exhibitions of this scale are unprecedented, with the closest parallel being Okwui Enwezor's 'Grief and Grievance' at the New Museum in 2021. He suggests that critiquing the show implicitly critiques Kouoh, who cannot defend herself, potentially stifling critical discourse. The article also references Henrike Naumann's posthumous German Pavilion exhibition. Herbert observes that Kouoh's name is unusually prominent in publicity materials, inching toward cult-of-personality territory. He anticipates criticality around wider Biennale issues—Russia and Israel participation, boycotts, EU funding withdrawal—but questions whether the same scrutiny will apply to Kouoh's show. The exhibition features 110 artists, emphasizing women and African artists, steering away from recent editions' focus on deceased artists or marginal practices.