The title and curatorial vision for the 61st Exhibition, which were initially to be revealed on Tuesday 20 May 2025, were announced following the sudden passing of the Curator Koyo Kouoh on 10 May 2025, which was met with profound sorrow across the entire world of art and culture.
With the full support of Koyo Kouoh’s family, La Biennale di Venezia decided to carry out her Exhibition. It will do so by following the project just as she conceived and defined it, with the further purpose of preserving, enhancing and widely disseminating her ideas and the work she pursued with such dedication to the very end.
On 17 October 2024, Koyo Kouoh wholeheartedly accepted the invitation by the President of La Biennale di Venezia, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, to take on the role of Artistic Director of the Visual Arts Department, with the task of curating the 61st International Art Exhibition. On 5 November 2024, the Board of Directors of La Biennale di Venezia appointed her Director of the Visual Arts Department, assigning her the curatorship of the 61st Exhibition. In keeping with institutional tradition, her appointment was announced to the press on 3 December 2024, at the close of the 60th International Art Exhibition, curated by Adriano Pedrosa.
Between mid-October 2024 and early May 2025, Koyo Kouoh worked intensively to develop the curatorial project, defining its theoretical framework, selecting the artists and the artworks, designating the authors of the catalogue, determining the graphic identity of the Exhibition and the architecture of the exhibition spaces, and establishing a dialogue with the artists invited to participate.
In Minor Keys is the title chosen by Koyo Kouoh for the 61st International Art Exhibition, as specified in the curatorial text attached to this press release, which was sent to the President of La Biennale on 8 April 2025. At that time, she wrote:
“In October 2024, I was greatly honoured to be appointed curator of the 61st edition of Biennale Arte. It is with pleasure that I share today with you and your team the philosophical framework that will guide my curatorship of the exhibition”.
The 61st Exhibition will be produced by La Biennale di Venezia, with the contribution of the professionals selected and directly involved by Koyo Kouoh. The team consists of the advisors Gabe Beckhurst Feijoo, Marie Helene Pereira and Rasha Salti; the editor-in-chief Siddhartha Mitter; and the assistant Rory Tsapayi.
All the details of the project – including the list of artists invited to the International Exhibition, the graphic identity, the Exhibition design and the list of Participating Countries in the 61st Exhibition – will be announced at the customary presentation to be held in Venice on Wednesday 25 February 2026.
The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia – In Minor Keys by Koyo Kouoh will run from Saturday 9 May to Sunday 22 November 2026 (preview 6, 7, 8 May) at the Giardini, the Arsenale and in various locations around Venice.