Kouoh named Zeitz Museum executive director

INDEPENDENT exhibition maker and cultural producer Koyo Kouoh has been appointed the executive director and chief curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA).

Born in Cameroon, Kouoh is the founder and artistic director of Raw Material Company, a centre for art, knowledge and society and is renowned in the arts community in a Pan-African and international scope.

Specialising in photography, video and art in the public space, she has curated a number of exhibitions internationally and written on contemporary African art.

On her appointment, Kouoh said: “I am thrilled to be joining Zeitz MOCAA in an executive and curatorial capacity at this crucial time in the museum’s development. It is an unprecedented opportunity to create a strong home for the production, exhibition, discussion and collection of contemporary art in Africa.”

Her appointment is effective immediately, with her full-time position commencing on May 6, from when the wider executive team of Zeitz MOCAA will comprise herself, director of institutional advancement Brooke Minto and director of operations Fawaz Mustapha.

Zeitz MOCAA Curatorial Advisory Group chairperson Gavin Jantjes said the museum’s choice reflects its ambitions. “I have known and worked with Koyo for many years on projects related to the contemporary art of Africa and much more. I believe that she will be a huge contributor to the further development of Zeitz MOCAA as an institution, as her knowledge of the continent’s contemporary players contributing to Africa’s cultural history will help the museum with its core intentions of being a major voice in the field of visual culture,” he said.

Art critic Matthew Blackman has hailed Kouoh’s appointment.