Ludovico Pratesi Remembers Curator Okwui Enwezor

Ludovico Pratesi recalls his encounters with the late curator Okwui Enwezor, who died in 2019. Pratesi first followed Enwezor's work in 2002 when he curated a groundbreaking Documenta, featuring then lesser-known artists like Amar Kanwar, Doris Salcedo, William Kentridge, and Glenn Ligon. At 39, Enwezor became the first non-European to curate the colossal exhibition. Years later, Pratesi met him in Rome at a Gagosian opening, where Enwezor discussed the need for curators to 'perform' to stay relevant. They met again in Venice for an interview about the 2015 Biennale, where Enwezor was gentle yet determined, displaying a magnetic charisma. Pratesi was later added to Enwezor's personal newsletter, which he fears he will no longer receive.