Tag: contemporary African art
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In Assinie, a Luxury Hotel That Became an Open-Air Museum
About 80 kilometers east of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, along the Atlantic coastline, Assinie has long been known as a seaside retreat. But beyond its beaches and resorts, a different kind of landscape is quietly taking shape. For DakArtNews, this visit reveals a space where art extends far beyond exhibition. At Maison d’Akoula, monumental sculptures rise…
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Marie-Cécile Zinsou on Why Museums Matter in Africa — and Who They Are For
Over the past two decades, museums and cultural initiatives have begun to reshape the artistic landscape across Africa, redefining not only how art is produced and exhibited, but also how it is experienced locally. In Benin, few figures have played as central a role in this transformation as Marie-Cécile Zinsou. Since founding the Fondation Zinsou…
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Touria El Glaoui, Founder of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, on Building Beyond Visibility
As recent institutional research suggests that the African art market has “come of age,” with dedicated auction departments now integrated into broader contemporary sales, the conversation around African art has shifted from questions of visibility to those of structural integration. Founded in London in 2013 as a platform dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and…
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Against Hierarchy, Toward Community: How Esinam Damalie is rethinking curatorial practice in Africa
As contemporary African art gains unprecedented visibility, questions of curation—who frames the work, how it is mediated and for whom—have become increasingly urgent. In this interview with DakArtNews, Rosemary Esinam Damalie, a Ghanaian artist and curator, reflects on curation as a creative and educational practice rather than a neutral act of selection and writing. As…
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‘Painting Feels Like Prayer’ for Keemetaane’s Mystic Canvases
Born in Linguère, in northeastern Senegal, where the rhythms of rural life left no room for canvas or paint, Babacar Ndiaye grew up without an artistic tradition to guide him. His early career unfolded in Senegal’s tourism sector, , a role that first carried him abroad and honed his sense of cultural ambassadorship. Known as…
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A Swiss Foundation Elevates African Voices Through Artists and Scholars
In the heart of Basel, a city whose history is intertwined with Africa in ways both inspiring and troubling, the Fondation Oumou Dilly is quietly reshaping the conversation about who gets to produce knowledge — and whose stories get told. Named after Oumou, a healer and wise woman from early 20th-century Mali, the foundation champions…
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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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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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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…
Bridging Africa and The World Through Contemporary Art 