Who We Are
The Koyo Kouoh Foundation’s goal is to keep a tradition alive, rather than turning it into a still image.
It is based on the idea that art is not neutral and that history, power, access, and the conditions in which artists and curators can think, make, and share their work all shape cultural production.
The Koyo Kouoh Foundation supports the ideas and the structures she has put in place already, such as Raw Material Company
WHY NOW
We support practices that have been pushed to the edges, moved, or ignored in the past, not as a way to include them, but because they are important to the present.
Africa, its diasporas, and Afro-Caribbean settings are not on the outside. They are places where people learn, make things, and think critically, and they have an impact on modern culture around the world.
We are aware that these talks are not happening in a vacuum. They span geographies, involving artists and curators whose work directly engages with these contexts and addresses common issues of circulation, access, and responsibility.
We believe that institutions need to change. That they need to be more open, more responsible, and more connected to the real-world issues they say they are dealing with.
It’s important to know that culture isn’t secondary. It’s structural.
WHAT WE SUPPORT
The foundation helps people who work in these kinds of situations. People who make things and knowledge at the same time. Those who build contexts as much as they create forms.
We support research, because thinking takes time!
We support education because transmission is structural!
We support production because ideas need material conditions to exist!
We support circulation, because visibility is not given, it is constructed!
We think that artists and curators don’t just make culture; they also make knowledge, relationships, and the future.
IN THE MAKING
The Koyo Kouoh Collection
The Foundation is working on the Koyo Kouoh Collection, which will be a long-term home for art, archives, research, and cultural contributions that are in line with Koyo Kouoh's values, conversations, and legacy.
This may also include the thoughtful preservation of selected garments, books, design objects, and cultural artifacts connected to her wider world.
We welcome people who want to help or shape this growing project to have thoughtful conversations, work together, and make contributions.
The Koyo Kouoh Prize
The Foundation is currently exploring the development of the Koyo Kouoh Prize, a future award designed to support and recognize artists, curators, researchers, cultural practitioners, and institution builders whose work reflects the values of critical thought, structural imagination, and transformative cultural practice.
We welcome real conversations with people who want to help it grow, whether they are potential supporters, collaborators, or partners.
HOw to get INVOLVEDSupporting this foundation means supporting the things that make work possible, keep it going and making sure the work is long lasting.
It is investing in practices that are already changing the world, often without the recognition or resources they need.
People are more important than things
SUPPORT THE FOUNDATIONIf you believe in this work, you can take part in it.
Your support directly contributes to research, production, and the development of artistic and curatorial practices across contexts and geographies.
Support the foundation.
Sustain the work.
Make it possible for it to continue.
Donate now