Venice Biennale curatorial team reveal how they are bringing the late Koyo Kouoh's vision to life

"The artists [selected] are channels to the minor keys. [They all] stand as a collective score... artists who work at the boundaries of form. These are artists whose practices seamlessly bleed into society. The structure is not abstractly determined... it is not organised in sections but in respect to undercurrent priorities."

"After months of meeting online to discuss artists, [Kouoh] convened us in Dakar. We gathered in April for an intense week of work. She was our conductor... she composed as we improvised. We noticed that fruit fell [from a mango tree] when the name of an artist was spoken. This happened often enough that when a name was spoken and no fruit fell, we paused, in expectation."

"In Minor Keys proposes a radical connection with art's natural habitat and role in society. It is neither a litany of commentary on world events, nor an escape from compounding or continuously intersecting crises."

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled In Minor Keys, showcases the curatorial vision of Koyo Kouoh, the first African woman selected to direct the exhibition before her death in May. The Biennale includes 111 artists and collectives, with significant representation from the Global South. Rather than commenting on world events or crises, the exhibition proposes a radical connection between art and its role in society. The curatorial structure organizes artists around undercurrent priorities rather than abstract sections, treating selected artists as channels to minor keys who work at boundaries of form and seamlessly integrate into society. Kouoh's curatorial team developed the vision through intensive collaborative sessions in Dakar.

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