What major art event, curated by Koyo Kouoh, will run from May to November 2026?

The major art event curated by Koyo Kouoh, running from May to November 2026, is the Venice Biennale. This renowned international cultural exhibition takes place in Venice, Italy, and is celebrated globally for its significant influence on contemporary art. Since its inception (Review) in 1895, the Biennale has served as a vital platform for showcasing new artistic trends and fostering international dialogue in the arts. It famously alternates between its Art Biennale and Architecture Biennale editions each year, with the 2026 event being the 61st International Art Exhibition.

Koyo Kouoh, a groundbreaking Swiss-Cameroonian curator, was appointed to lead the 2026 Art Biennale, making her the first African woman to curate the main exhibition. Although Kouoh sadly passed away in May 2025, the Biennale Foundation (Review), with the full support of her family, made the decision to carry out her vision for the exhibition exactly as she conceived and defined it. Her chosen title for the exhibition is "In Minor Keys," a theme that promises a polyphonous assembly of art attuned to quieter tonalities and practices that emphasize intimacy and poetic persistence.

The 61st International Art Exhibition, "In Minor Keys," is scheduled to open its doors on May 9 and run until November 22, 2026, across the historic venues of the Giardini, the Arsenale, and various other locations throughout Venice. This commitment to realizing Kouoh's curatorial project posthumously underscores her profound impact on the art world and ensures that her critical, nuanced, and globally rooted perspective will shape one of the most prestigious events in contemporary art.