„To shift to a slower gear and tune in to the frequencies of the minor keys.“
– Koyo Kouoh
We will be speaking with Brett Scott, an art consultant for collections in South Africa, who will join us from Cape Town to discuss South Africa’s withdrawal from Venice, the pressures facing African artists on international platforms, and what Koyo Kouoh’s vision for “In Minor Keys“ means in the context of artistic censorship and institutional resistance. 🎧 Listen to episode 01, pt II
Transkript Episode 01, pt II
Hosts: Esenija Bannan (EB) & Charlotte Desaga (CD)
CD: In our last episode, we ended on a rather somber note. We were discussing Koyo Kouoh’s vision for the 2026 Venice Biennale, and we briefly touched on the news that South Africa had cancelled its participation.
EB: And we wanted to pick up that thread, because the reasons behind it are complex. Not to be too melancholy, but the cultural ramifications of Israel’s war on Gaza are widespread. On Artnet, we read that South Africa abruptly dropped its selected artist, Gabrielle Goliath, over her “highly divisive” exhibition that would commemorate Palestinian women and children killed at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces since October 2023.
EB: The decision was condemned by the artist selection committee, who said they “reject all forms of censorship and intimidation that seek to curtail critical artistic practice or undermine the autonomy of cultural production”.
CD: We were curious to hear about the reactions to this in Cape Town’s art scene, especially since the curator of this Biennale, Koyo Kouoh, was from 2019 onwards the Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town. So, we asked Brett Scott to join us. Brett is an art consultant for collections in South Africa, including the Scheryn Art Collection, and collection manager at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town. Hi to South Africa.
EB: Brett, thank you so much for joining us on ART (un)quoted.
BS: Thank you for having me.
CD: Brett, to start, how has this news about the Biennial pavilion been received by artists and cultural workers on the ground?
EB: And following on that, Koyo Kouoh’s legacy at the Zeitz MOCAA is so significant. How does this decision to withdraw, particularly over issues of artistic freedom, sit with the institutional culture she worked so hard to build there?
Source of quote: Kouoh, Koyo. „Curatorial Text.“ La Biennale di Venezia, 2026. https://www.labiennale.org/en/art/2026/curatorial-text-koyo-kouoh.
