MC Art Matters with Koyo Kouoh

An exclusive conversation with the curator of the 2026 Venice Biennial.

Renowned African artist Kendell Geers and host of Art Matters lunch tables will once again invite a fascinating art world figure to join the discussion while raising intriguing questions.

This time, Kendell asks: In a world fragmented and divided by extremism, racism, prejudice and conflict, could art be the key to restoring our humanity? He argues that the ability to make art - which first manifested 73,000 years ago in Blombos Cave, South Africa - distinguishes us from animals and is the very definition of humanity.

Together with the director of the 2026 Venice Biennial Koyo Kouoh, you’re invited to join this thought-provoking discussion - a collaboration between GLEAN Magazine and TheMerode.

Being in charge of the world’s largest international exhibition, Koyo Kouoh has the unique opportunity to redefine our living relationship to art - and we can’t wait to hear her vision.

Don’t miss what promises to be a lively conversation on the rise and significance of African Figuration, the future of the 130-year-old Venice Biennial and why Art matters!

For those who want to find out more about Koyo Kouoh’s approach: On 7th February her 2022 travelling exhibition “When We See Us” opens at Bozar, providing clues to her understanding of how art defines identity. The show explores Black self-representation and provides a platform for a multitude of global Black perspectives, both pan-African and pan-diasporic.

speaker

Koyo Kouoh (Camerun / Switzerland) has been the Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town since 2019. Previously, she was the founding Artistic Director of RAW Material Company, a centre for art, knowledge and society in Dakar, Senegal, as well as part of the curatorial teams for documenta 12 (2007) and documenta 13 (2012). Kouoh is the recipient of the Grand Prix Meret Oppenheim 2020 and the Swiss Grand Award for Art which honours achievements in the fields of art, architecture, critique, and exhibitions. She lives and works alternately in Cape Town, South Africa, Dakar, Senegal, and Basel, Switzerland.

moderator

Kendell Geers is a contemporary artist. His work confronts universal themes of love, resilience, and hope, driven by his belief that the act of making art is what defines humanity itself. In times of social crisis and political extremism, his work challenges audiences to consider how art can build bridges and restore a sense of shared humanity. Extending this vision, Geers hosts the Art Matters tables at TheMerode. Bringing together performance, philosophical inquiry, and community engagement, Art Matters embodies his conviction that art is not a passive pursuit but an active force for change. At its heart lies the idea that art changes the world, one perception at a time.

MC Art Matters with Koyo Kouoh

Koyo Kouoh

Kendell Geers

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MC Art Matters with Koyo Kouoh

Koyo Kouoh

Kendell Geers

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