There can be no coming to terms with the calamity of Koyo Kouoh’s untimely passing mere days before she was set to announce her plans for the 2026 Venice Biennale. Not yet. Among the many art communities Kouoh was part of, there is the feeling that a colleague, mentor, and friend was snatched away in her prime – like the two ancestors, Bisi Silva and Okwui Enwezor, who preceded her. Somewhere under the grief, fond memories and deep gratitude are slowly emerging, but for now, the pain lingers. Her last exhibition, “In Minor Keys,” opens in May 2026 in Venice, now be delivered across the finish line by her curatorial team, an edifying conclusion to the great career of a woman whose vision for contemporary art and commitment to African artists was undeniable. “I am certain that, at 54, my work is done,” she told Emeka Okereke in 2022. We must take her at her word. https://www.textezurkunst.de/en/articles/eric-otieno-sumba-obituary-for-koyo-kkouoh/