Last month, the highly anticipated contemporary art biennial event “Dak’Art” took place in Senegal. The event was pioneered by the Senegalese government over 20 years ago in an effort to raise the profile of African artists and introduce contemporary African art to the world. This year’s biennial was buzzing with creative, new installations and talent encompassing a broad range of vision, voice, and style.
Kiluanji Kia Henda, ‘O.R.G.A.S.M. (As god wants and devil likes it)’: photograph and object installation, 2011. Photo © Aida Muluneh.
A review on Another Africa by Missla Libsekal entitled “Dak’Art 2014 Makes Contemporary African Art Visible” highlights some of the more noteworthy components of the event, calling it “an ambitious project” and indicating that due to it’s sheer size, “seeing everything was impossible.” However, the article also discusses structural challenges such as “power failures” and occasional incidents in which the artwork failed to arrive as planned.
Untitled, Unsigned. Photo © Aida Muluneh.
Massinissa Selmani, Souvenir du vide: animations screened on paper cubes, 2014.
Photo © Aida Muluneh.
Overall, however, Dak’Art is hailed as a remarkable success and a qualified achievement in the African art world. Libsekal aptly condenses the event by spotlighting some of its best elements and featuring stunning works of photography by Aidi Muluneh. See the full review and learn more about Dak’Art on Another Africa.
Photos republished with permission from the artist, Aida Muluneh.