The 2024 Dak'Art Biennial, a mainstay of the African art world, has been postponed from its original May date to November. There is still a lot to see in Dakar despite the delays. Dakar's independent galleries and studios who make part of the "OFF" scene during the Biennial are actually still ‘ON’ and opened on May 15 2024.
Although bureaucratic inertia might have led to the postponement, this does not stifle creativity as independent artists are currently dictating the Dakar's artistic pulse. Their work, on display in exhibitions and pop-up events this month reflects the city's dynamism and its engagement with global issues.
This alternative art scene in this years ‘OFF” is not merely reactive as it sends trends with the works on display. Here is a list of shows to attend if you are in Dakar.
Black Rock Sénégal: Encounters
Artists: Adrian L.Burrell, Amina Kadous, Ayan Farah, Chinwe Chigbu, Enam Gbewonyo, Gouled Ahmed , Khalif Tahir Thompson, Leonard Pongo, Mae-Ling Lokko, Nengi Omuku, Panmela Castro, Paul Verdell, Sophia Nahli-Allison, Stephen Hayes, Kwabena Appiah-Nti, Ousmane Ba, Lilah Benetti, Makrone Diop, Souleye Fall, Timothy Hunter, Chase Johnson, Ngimbi Bakambana Luve, Ange-Frederic Koffi, Nicolas Lambelet Coleman, Samuel Nnorom, Ardeshir Tabrizi, Keith Tuttii
Location: Blaise Senghor Cultural Center
Dates: May 16 – June 16
Encounters is an exhibition showcasing the work of Black Rock's third and fourth-year artists-in-residence. Curated by Dr. Jareh Das, the exhibition explores how various encounters—whether personal or collective, from the past, present, or future—shape the artists' perceptions of themselves and their place in the world.
Dem Dikk/Viavai
Khalifa Hussein: Linge
Export-Import
Zohra Opoku: With every fibre of (my) being
Na Chainkua Reindorf: Strange Flesh
Branching Streams. Sketches of Kinship
