From November 7 to December 7, 2024, Dakar hosts the 15th edition of the biennial of contemporary African art, Dak’Art. Having become a real meeting place for artists on the continent and global collectors, this year again, nearly 70 artists from all over the world will be exhibited as part of the “in” festival and almost as many as part of the “off”. Details.
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With our correspondent in Dakar, Léa-Lisa Westerhoff
A bronze warrior by the Senegalese sculptor Ousmane Sow measuring more than two meters guards the entrance to the Palace of Justice, inaccessible to visitors for a few more hours. But, through the doorway, we can see some of the works of the 68 international artists exhibited there.
A biennial in a context of geopolitical and climatic crisis, very committed this year, as Salimata Diop, artistic director, explains: “ Climate disasters are piling up. Denial about this reality is still very strong. Dakar is a place where we are at the center of this crisis and where it seemed relevant to address this need to wake up. »
Art not only has its say, but it is also perhaps the medium that has the greatest chance of making a difference.
Salimata Diop, artistic director of the Dak’Art Biennale of Contemporary African Art
The awakening in the image of the title of this fifteenth biennial, “The Wake”, with paintings, sculptures, photos, and an immersive exhibition by ten artists who show, smell and feel the environmental crisis.
Cindy Olohou, one of the three guest curators of the biennial, explains: “ What does this climate crisis mean for, for example, a miner from Manono, in Congo, who is going to extract minerals from the ground? This is something that is addressed by the sound work of Nemo Camus. He collected the words of the miners and transcribed their words in this sound installation. »
Cries of distress but also cries of hope, as for an immersive installation by the Moroccan artist Ghizlaine Sakhi, around the flower: “ I wrote about this installation four days after the earthquake in Marrakech [dans la nuit du 8 au 9 septembre 2023, un puissant séisme de magnitude 6,9 avait ravagé l’ouest du Maroc, faisant près de 3 000 morts, NDLR] that I really experienced as a real trauma in my life. In fact, I wanted to talk about humanity, love, essential things that affect us all. And so, the flower is the flesh. »
This biennial lasts until December 7: a month to discover a myriad of contemporary works.