Dak’Art 08: Chasing Shadows

By Bisi Silva

DAKAR, Senegal—On May 9, the eighth edition of the Dakar Biennale was officially opened by Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade, in a ceremony involving the usual pomp, pageantry, political mutterings, and half-hearted promises to support and develop visual art education and infrastructure. For 16 years Dak’Art has provided the only consistent large-scale platform for the presentation of contemporary artistic production south of the Sahara. While each edition bears witness to the event’s growing importance as a meeting point for art professionals from around the world, this year’s biennale falls short of leveraging its position as Africa’s most important visual art platform.

Dak’Art 08, which runs May 9 to June 9, presents some 50 works by 36 artists from 16 countries — including three from the diaspora — across two official venues, under the broad theme of “Africa: Mirror?” The framework calls for a critical reflection on the failures and successes of post-colonial Africa as many of its nations prepare to celebrate 50 years of independence in 2010, and the biennale, to its credit, includes a substantial number of projects relating to African and diaspora themes — from African history, colonialization, conflict, displacement, and migration to rural/urban and modern/traditional tensions. However, in spite of a few interesting projects, this year’s biennale represents a major step backward for the event.

Since its inception in 1992, Dak’Art ran for many years without a curatorial team, a situation quite unusual for a major biennale. Artists were invited to apply, and an international committee whose members were sometimes unfamiliar with the applicants determined the final selection. In 2006, the limitations of this selection process were finally addressed, and the biennale was organized by a curatorial team of six (disclosure: I was one), under the leadership of artistic director Yacouba Konate. The result was an ambitious affair spread over four venues, including the extensive grounds and ancillary spaces of the Theodore Monod Museum, and featuring over 85 artists and 120 artworks from 27 African countries and 4 in the diaspora.

This year, unfortunately, all of those positive developments have been reversed. (MORE....)

DAXAAR - ULTIMA FATICA DI STEVE REID

Steve Reid made his recording debut in 1964, aged 19, playing on Martha and the Vandellas’ classic “Dancing in the Street”. He went on to accompany the greatest of the jazz greats - legendary figures such as Miles Davis, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra and David Murray; and also soul legends such as James Brown, Dionne Warwick and Chaka Khan. Throughout Steve Reid has remained one of the true independent innovators. His new album ‘Daxaar’ is a brand new collection of rhythmic ideas captured during his first visit to Africa in over four decades.

“Daxaar” is the latest collaboration between Steve Reid and Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet) following on from their previous Domino albums: “Tongues” and “The Exchange Sessions” Volumes 1 + 2.

Their ongoing working relationship, and friendship, came about through a mutual friend, Antoine at Paris Jazz Corner. Kieran was keen to revisit the kind of intense dialogues to be found in 70s free jazz duos; Steve liked Four Tet and wanted to engage with modern electronic textures, something he felt had not yet been done well in jazz. The result was a show in Paris, one in London, and then straight after, the Exchange Sessions.

January 2007 found the intrepid duo at Studio Dogo, Dakar, Senegal for the ‘Daxaar’ recordings. Steve was on drums, Khadim Badji on percussion, Dambel Diop on bass, Kieran on electronics, Roger Ongolo on trumpet, Jimi Mbaye from Youssou N’Dour’s band on guitar and Boris Netsvetaev (keyboards). They were also joined by Isa Kouyate on kora and vocal for the album opener “Welcome”.

ACTUALITE DU DAK'ART 2008

ParRoger Pierre TURINE(critique d’art à La Libre Belgique)

Au-delà de ses prix, le plus souvent attribués à bon escient par des jurys soucieux d’encourager avant tout le travail, l’originalité et la force de frappe des œuvres en jeu, ce septième Dak’Art se sera justement signalé à l’attention générale par la qualité des intervenants en piste.

Au-delà des clivages de l’origine des élus, des genres abordés, des techniques éprouvées, les commissaires de l’exposition internationale ont témoigné de la pertinence d’une sélection riche en particularités représentatives d’une Afrique, à la fois noire et blanche, attentive à ses couleurs, ses valeurs ancestrales, sa foi multiple et variée en des expressions dignes et chargées d’âme. 

La présence à leur tête du sensible et rayonnant Yacouba Konaté aura, en effet, permis au Dak’Art 2006 de se positionner comme le plus riche en œuvres émergentes et fécondes de tous les Dak’Art réunis. Les prix et encouragements décernés n’auront d’ailleurs jamais été aussi nombreux qu’en cette édition anniversaire des dix ans de la Biennale de l’Art africain contemporain. Une heureuse réalité, puisqu’ils ont tous souligné la surprise, l’émotion et l’étonnement fédérateurs suscités par des travaux dont l’inédit de la conception et la probité de l’engagement pour la défense et l’illustration de drames et vérités planétaires le disputait à la précision et au savoir technique des produits finis. 

Bien évidemment, ces prix sont des encouragements adressés aux artistes, à charge pour eux, loin de se reposer sur des lauriers vite fanés, de se dépasser encore et toujours et de nous prouver demain que la confiance des jurés en leur chemin était un bon choix. (MORE...)

DAK'ART 2008 la BIENNALE DE DAKAR

8th Dak'Art
9 May - 9 June 2008
Dakar, Senegal

-Exposition internationale
-Programme 2008.pdf
-Dak'Art OFF

Main events of the 8th edition of the Biennale of Contemporary African Art:
International Exhibition of Contemporary African Art
 
Individual exhibitions of African artists and Diaspora Artists
African Design Salon

Tribute to an African artist
 
Meetings and Exchanges / Films Projections on contemporary art
 
Digital Arts Space