The 2024 Dakar Biennale Makes a Strong Return After a Disruptive Postponement

This year brings together 58 artists from 33 countries under the theme The Wake. The official statement describes this edition as “an immersive journey through an intimate, striking and serious scenography.”

Artists from both ends of the Atlantic have been charged to consider and explore themes of slavery, historical restoration and reconsiderations. The pavilions are designed to be intimate, narrative-driven and interactive, with a strong focus on using sound and music to guide visitors’ experiences, an aspect often overlooked by exhibition curators and critics when exploring the creative currents of Africa and its diaspora.

For Camara, showing at this year’s Biennale is a pivotal moment for his career. “The Biennale offers [me] the opportunity to inscribe my works in a broader dialogue around contemporary African art, while highlighting the cultural influences that define me,” he says. Camara employs traditional artistic techniques to create unique sensory experiences for the viewer and honor his roots.

Camara’s collection of works this year explores the interconnectedness of our environment, technology and culture through his ongoing statements on the cosmos.

“My creations use a variety of media, such as acrylic, wood, and metal, to reflect emotionally charged galactic landscapes. One series, in particular, combines African motifs with a doodle approach, where vibrant colors and organic forms enhance our heritage while celebrating modernity.” Camara says his goal is to offer viewers “a contemplative space, conducive to an introspective dialogue about identity.”

Camara’s work is just one piece of the impressive showcase at Dakar Biennale this year. As Achille Tenkiang, a visitor at this year’s Biennale describes it, “The range of artistic mediums on display was unlike anything I’d seen at other African art festivals of a similar scale.”

Local impact, global reach

The Dakar Biennale was founded in 1990 by the Senegalese government, in response to calls from homegrown artists seeking a platform to uplift the country’s growing art scene. Now with modern sensibilities, the Dakar Biennale has positioned itself as a viable entryway into the continent's vast and fast-changing art landscape. Each year, curators, artists, gallerists, exhibitors, appraisers and many of the juggernauts of the global art community make Dakar an international cocoon, where African art is seen, engaged with and understood outside of unfamiliar surroundings.

For the local art scene, the Dakar Biennale has boosted interest in the arts as well as respect for the arts. “I think it's a kind of reward for the artists, in that they see their work being valued, which wasn't the case before,” another visitor, Serigne Abdou Mbacke Ndiaye, tells OkayAfrica. “But now in Dakar, people are interested in this field and can see themselves in the works. Today in Dakar, the artist is more respected and more involved in social projects, particularly during the Senegal 2050 referendum,” Ndiaye adds.

Camara agrees, noting that the influx of curators and art critics lends weight to the local art market and has birthed meaningful collaborations in a way that reevaluates Senegalese art and its representation of Africa’s vibrant artistic practices.

A sense of belonging

With both African and African American artists showing, the caliber of works on display is enriched by varied interpretations, allowing visitors to experience how the past is connected to the future, while giving both timelines equal importance.

Beyond the art, this interconnection is also creating a sense of community that visitors have described as palpable. “It felt like everyone was in town,” Tenkiang says. “I ran into friends I hadn’t seen in a decade, from Paris to Joburg. It felt like African art’s town hall, a gathering with a unique energy.”