Senegal
One of the most dynamic art spaces on the continent
The recent opening of Dakar’s Museum of Black Civilisations, amid heated debates about reclaiming art taken from colonisers, has sparked a new personal interest in Senegalese art, even though Senegal’s capital already houses one of the oldest West African art institutions, l’Institute Fondamental d’Afrique Noire (IFAN) Museum of African Arts.“Artists across Senegal think deeply about the world around them, in both a local and a global sense”
The IFAN serves as the main site of the Dak’Art Biennale. Dak’Art, a Dakar-based exhibition of contemporary African art, has been operating bi-annually since 1996, and is the African continent’s longest running grand-scale art event. Since 2014 it has also been open to non-African artists.
“Artists across Senegal think deeply about the world around them, in both a local and a global sense”
This art biennale paved the way for the opening of several art galleries and residencies in Dakar and nearby. The Leopold Sedar Senghor Galerie at the Village des Arts, Loman Art Gallery, Yassine Arts Gallery, La Galerie Antenna and Wakh Art are a few to mention. OH Gallery is another gallery which only opened recently, representing some of the best Senegalese expressionist and cubist artists such as Aliou Diack, Kine Aw, Amadou Camara Gueye, Pape Samba Ndiaye, and the duo currently exhibiting Oeuvres until 31March 2019: Sambou Diouf and Soly Cisse. Aliou Diack will have his first solo exhibition at the gallery in October and November of this year.
Galerie Arte also holds regular exhibitions, its most recent being Sama Dekk-Ma Ville by the highly stylised contemporary figurative artist, Ibrahima Gningue, and Galerie le Manege-Institute Francais is holding a duo exhibition, with Ibrahima Dieye` and Badou Diack, from 19 March.
The Thread, a cultural centre and artist residency operating in rural Sinthian since 2015, works with artists who have a genuine interest in the area, providing an opportunity to create cultural bridges through opening its doors to locals. Similarly, but in Dakar, the Raw Material Company gallery and residency, curated by Koyo Kouoh, produces exceptional contemporary art shows, mainly featuring international artists.
Senegalese art also caught the interest of Kent State University Assistant Professor Dr Joseph Underwood, who recently curated the exhibition The View from Here: Contemporary Perspectives from Senegal, which focuses on individuals uncovering aspects of their identity as they reflect on everyday life in contemporary Senegal.
“Artists across Senegal think deeply about the world around them, in both a local and a global sense” said Underwood, when asked why he focused on Senegalese artworks. “Many of them excel at leveraging the various institutions to reach new audiences and further their art-making practices. It’s one of the most dynamic art spaces on the continent and in the global south”. The exhibition includes work by some of the best contemporary artists currently active in Senegal: Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Manthia Diawara, Khalifa Dieng, Ibrahima Dieye, Pap Souleye Fall, Camara Gueye, Amalia Ramanankirahhina, Henri Sagna, Fatou Kande Senghor, Fally Sene Sow and Ibrahima Thiam. This exhibition was shown in the OFF at last year’s Dak’Art Biennale, before travelling to the Wright Museum of Art in Wisconsin and the Kent State University Centre for Visual Art Gallery. Between July and October of this year it will also be on show at the Zuccaire Gallery at Stony Brook University, New York.
Senegalese artist Fally Sene Sow has recently completed a residency in Madrid and will soon be showing a solo exhibition in collaboration with TRAMES in Dakar, as well as exhibiting at the Beirut Art Fair in September. Fellow contemporary sculptor Mamady Seydi will be exhibiting at the Datris Foundation in France this summer, whilst Ibrahima Thiam will be at the Forum Transculturel d’Art Contemporain in Haiti in October. Viya Diba, Diadji Diop, Mamadou Cisse, Omar Ba, Eric Pina and Ndoye Douts are amongst other artists who are also making a name for themselves locally and internationally.
Senegalese contemporary artists who are expanding beyond borders are many. Maimouna Guerresi, who is represented by Mariane Ibrahim Gallery in Seattle, USA, is exhibiting in art fairs in Mexico, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates this year, and will produce a solo show in Girona, Spain in June. Amongst Senegal’s contemporary photographers, we have the celebrated Omar Victor Diop, who is reconstructing Africans in history, as well as Delphine Diallo, Boubacar Toure Mandemory, Arebenor Bassene and Djibril Drame. In the world of fashion, there is Selly Reby Kane and if you are after some African interior décor for your home, try IKEA – which has recently signed her up as one of its designers!
