Dak’Art 2010 going on in Dakar

Six Nigerian artists are among those exhibiting at the 165 spots such as banks, hotels, shops and restaurants, as Offs, as well as an international exhibition featuring recent works of prize winners of the President Léopold Sédar Senghor Award from previous editions since 1992 to 2008. Under the auspices of the National Gallery of Art, […]

Six Nigerian artists are among those exhibiting at the 165 spots such as banks, hotels, shops and restaurants, as Offs, as well as an international exhibition featuring recent works of prize winners of the President Léopold Sédar Senghor Award from previous editions since 1992 to 2008.

Under the auspices of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, artists, Burns Effiom, Ebiware Dotimi Okiy, Kainebi Osahenye, Iroha James Uche, Ayo Aina and Jerry Buhari, sponsored by the Gallery showed works of installation and photography. They are showcasing works for ten days in an Off exhibition tagged ‘Trend: Six artists single platform’. It examines the manifestation of icons associated with African histories as exemplified by slavery, immigration and industrial consumption through the works of 6 Nigerian artists working in diverse content, yet in concert as regards subject matter. According to the curators of the exhibition, Prof. Tonie Okpe and Mr. Simon Ikpakronyi, “This exhibition is an exploration of these subjects in diverse dimensions of abstraction, through installations and photography.”

Works of twenty five artists chosen by five curators, including Nigeria’s Kunle Filani, from the approximately three hundred entries and representing the five regions of Africa and 10 prize winners of previous editions are on display at the international exhibition.

The Biennale which is organised by the Senegalese Ministry of Culture and Francophonie aims to support and encourage creativity, promotion, diffusing, artistic training and art education in Africa; promoting the African artists internationally; encouraging the integration of the contemporary African art into the international art market, and contributing to the development of art criticism in Africa and publications on art and contemporary African artists.

The Dakar Biennale was established in 1989, with the first edition devoted to Literature in 1990. The 1992 Biennale was the first edition of Dak’Art, and from then it was devoted to contemporary visual arts.

The 1992 edition at the time didn’t give priority to African artists, but instead, focused on encouraging sharing experiences, approaches and dialogues between artists and professionals from various areas, contributing to the reflection on contemporary art as well as promoting African artists.

Based on the evaluation of Dak’Art 1992, the focus for the Biennale has rested on contemporary art since 1996.