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 does not aim to imitate the function of the Raw Material Company, instead, we want to learn from it as a living example of how to create space, have conversations, and keep up practices over time.
This foundation is more than just a place to be seen.
It is a structure designed to help.
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 SUPPORTThe 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.
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