Tag: African Art
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Forget ‘African Art.’ Franck Hermann Ekra Argues for the Trans-African
In the crowded aisles of the Carreau du Temple, where the 10th edition of the AKAA art fair unfolded this October, Franck Hermann Ekra moved with the quiet assurance of someone who has spent years reading the world through its images. The Ivorian art critic and independent curator, known for his incisive reflections on aesthetics…
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The Curator Working to Decolonize a Museum in Dakar Designed for Colonizers: A Conversation with Dr. El Hadji Malick Ndiaye
The Théodore Monod Museum of African Art was never meant to tell Africa’s story on its own terms. Founded in 1936 as part of a colonial ethnographic project, its mission was once to display African objects as curiosities of a vanished world — distant, exotic, and frozen in time. Today, the institution houses a collection…
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As AKAA Turns 10, Beauty Becomes the Compass for Sitor Senghor’s New Direction
His name is inseparable from African cultural history. As the grand-nephew of Léopold Sédar Senghor — poet, philosopher, and first president of Senegal — Sitor Senghor carries a legacy deeply tied to art and intercultural dialogue. Now, as he takes the helm of AKAA (Also Known As Africa), Paris’s leading fair dedicated to contemporary African…
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How Agnes Essonti Luque Reclaims African Memory Through Photography and Ritual
To navigate between worlds — this might be the most fitting way to describe the practice of Agnes Essonti Luque, born to a Spanish mother and a Cameroonian father, whose work, both intimate and political, transcends disciplinary, geographic, and symbolic boundaries. At once a performer, photographer, curator, and cook, she draws on ancestral memory, diasporic…
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In Southern Senegal, a Potter Preserves Culture One Sculpture at a Time
Far from the hustle and bustle of Dakar, over 400 kilometers to the south, lies the village of Edioungou in the Casamance region. There, amidst the dense greenery and age-old traditions, pottery is more than a craft — it is a heritage, a form of memory preserved and passed down through the hands of women.…
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No Entry: The Artist Whose Visa Was Denied for a Project About Borders in Basel
He was meant to be here at Africa Basel, showcasing his project Art World Passport—an artistic critique of borders and movement. Richard Mudariki, a Zimbabwean artist based in South Africa and founder of artHarare, was invited to Basel to present his work. Yet ironically, his visa was denied. This denial highlights a harsh reality: in…
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‘Paris Noir’: 300 Works Stir Black Pride
From March 19 to June 30, 2025, Paris pulses with a celebration of African and diasporic artistry, and nowhere is this more evident than at the Centre Pompidou. On its futuristic facade, Gérard Sokoto’s piercing self-portrait announces Paris Noir, a groundbreaking exhibition on the 6th floor that marks the Centre’s final showcase before a five-year…
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Baye Ndiaga Diouf: Art That Heals and Inspires
In his studio located in Nguekhokh, around 70kms south of Dakar, Baye Ndiaga Diouf shares the essence of his art, which draws on natural materials like Touba coffee, cola, and charcoal. His works reflect his spiritual journey within Mouridism and explore themes of human connection, social justice, and spirituality. Ndiaga’s paintings offer a unique form…
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The Contemporary African Art Landscape with Prof. Yacouba Konaté
DakartNews had the privilege of meeting with Yacouba Konaté, an esteemed professor of philosophy at the University of Abidjan, renowned art critic, and honorary president of the International Association of Art Critics. Notably, he served as the General Commissioner of the Dakar Biennale in 2006. We sat down with him at the Rotonde des Arts,…
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Kara Fall: “Music makes me dance on my canvas”
When entering Kara Fall’s studio, a soft jazz melody fills the air. Posters of famous blues and jazz figures adorn the space, along with his keyboard where he plays music between paintings. Fall’s abstract and figurative works, infused with his malian heritage, often bear a touch of jazz, adding a musical and rhythmic dimension to…
Bridging Africa and The World Through Contemporary Art 