Dak’Art 2010 Is Finally Here!

Senegal Thu 06-05-2010

Dak’Art 2010 Is Finally Here!
By a Correspondent

The 9th Biennale of Contemporary African Art welcomes you to Dakar, Senegal from May 7 - June 7 2010.

Dak'Art 2010 has innovated and adapted, as well as enhanced the prospects and lessons from evaluations of previous biennales and following meetings of the orientation committee of December 2009.

The theme of this year's Dak’Art 2010 is all about retrospective and prospects and these will be focused on the Professional Meetings outlined in the programme.

The International exhibition will feature recent works of prize winners of Président Léopold S. Senghor award from former editions, since 1992 until 2008 as well as artists chosen by 5 curators during the selection (in between 300 applications).

Final selection will relate on 25 artists representative of the 5 areas of the African continent and 10 prize winners of former editions.

Dakart 2010

Meetings

These will take place from May 8 to 11, featuring two presentations each morning. Apart from the presence of professionals well known in the contemporary art domain, presentations of curators will be also included.

Design

Instead of the design show, a day of reflection about design has been proposed. This day will prepare the return of design exhibitions in 2012.

Digital arts

There is a framework of projects in partnership with other institutions.

OFF exhibitions

Each year more dynamic, OFF exhibitions takes place in the whole Dakar and in the country, and particularly in Saint-Louis, for 350th anniversary of the city.

Biennale’s village

The Village of the Biennale, a public success in 2008, will welcome with conviviality « biennalists » in the heart of the IFAN Museum.

Program

From May 7 to May 15, private views, events, debates, spectacles and other festivities of Dak’Art will take place.
A press meeting announcing the starting of Dak’Art will happen in the first days of May.

Innovations

Projects and events in partnership :

Some private and institutional projects will be highlighted by the biennale, due to their professionalism. This range of exhibitions aims to involve more the private sector in the domain of visual arts, and leads partners and companies to support artists and to initiate cultural philanthropy and sponsoring.

2012 in prospect

Dak’Art 2010 will launch the great Biennale « of the 20 years ». The General curator for 2012 will be presented next May and also 20 partners for the 20 years of the Biennale.

The objectives

After 8 editions, Dak’Art has taken its place amongst international biennales. The number and quality of the professionals who choose to follow its development and activities by participating regularly and actively is a proof. As an extension of the biennale, following each edition of the Dak’Art, exhibitions are created and carried out in an international context.

The increasing presence of African artists on the international art scene and in private and institutional collections also provides evidence of the importance of the biennale.

Today the image of Dak'Art obliges to more demand on the preparations and the organization, more rigorous selection and greater relevance in the communication of the event. For all these reasons, the main prospects arising regard the following:

• Affirm the perpetuation of the Dakar Biennale

• Ensuring the emergence of experienced professional both in art criticism, curatorial of exhibitions and in terms of design of exhibition

• Adopt a definitive way of selection based on the choice of confirmed curators

• Encourage in each edition of Dak'Art the discovery of new talents in order to confirm the capacity of renewal and enrichment of the artistic population

• Maintain the reflection on the visual arts in Africa

• Promote better circulation of artists and works in Africa and worldwide

• Promote the raise of local and African publics for visual arts

• Develop in a systematic way artists residencies and professional meetings between two biennales

Upcoming appointments

- Early February: presentation of the curators.

- Beginning March: announcement of the official selection of artists / press conference.

- Mid March: spread of the program on the website www.biennaledakar.org.

- End of March: deadline for Dak'Art OFF applications.

- Early May: press conference in Dakar.

APPENDICES

Former editions prize winners :
1992   Moustapha DIMÉ Senegal et Zerihun YETMGETA Ethiopia
1996   Abdoulaye KONATÉ Mali
1998   Viyé DIBA Senegal
2000   Fatma Charfi M’SEDDI Tunisia
2002   Ndary LO Senegal
2004   Michèle Magema Congo RDC
2006   Mounir Fatmi Morroco
2008   Ndary LO Senegal et Mansour CISS Kanakassy Senegal.

Orientation committee

1.   Aminata Diaw Cissé :teacher at UCAD (University Cheikh Anta Diop)

2.   Viyé Diba Artist: teacher of art Education

3.   Daouda Diarra :Head of ENA (National Art School)

4.   Thérèse Diatta :Gallery manager

5.   Mame Bintou Ly Dany Pierre Diédhiou : Head of National Gallery

6.   Boubacar Diop Buba: Teacher at UCAD

7.   Mamadou Traoré Diop: Adviser for the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal

8.   Annie Jouga: Architect designer

9.   Kalidou Kassé: Artist

10. Massamba Mbaye :Journalist , art critic

11. Moustapha Ndiaye Notary :collector

12. Mauro Petroni: ceramist

13. Issa Samb: Artist , art critic

14. Bibi Seck: Designer

15. Sidy Seck Adviser for cultural affairs, art critic

16. Gérald Senac: Collector, art sponsor

Secrétariat Général de la Biennale de Dakar : 19, Avenue Hassan II B.P. 3865 Dakar – RP. Sénégal
Tel: +221 33 823 09 18 Fax: +221 33 821 16 32. Email: info@biennaledakar.org Web: www.biennaledakar.org

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