DAK’ART 2016 BIENNALE of DAKAR May, 3 – June, 2 — 2016 12th Edition of the Dakar Biennale « The City in the Blue Daylight » Simon Njami, Artistic Director PRESS RELEASE CONTENT 1. What Is Dak’art 2. The City In The Blue Daylight 3. Who’s Simon Njami 4. The Program of Dak’art 2016 5. Participating artists 6. Contact 1. WHAT IS DAK’ART Dak’Art, The Dakar Biennale, is the first and the major international Art event dedicated to the Contemporary African creation. Initiated in 1996 by the Republic of Senegal, the biennale is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Communication. Its 12th edition will take place from May 3, to July 11, 2016. The aims of Dak’Art are to offer the African artists a chance to show their work to a large and international audience, and to elaborate a dis- course in esthetic, by participating to the conceptualization of theorical tools for analyse and appropriation of the global art world. Mahmadou Rassoul Seydi is the General Secretary of Dak’Art. Simon Njami, writer and independant curator, is the Artistic Director of the 12th Edition of the Dakar Biennale. As a departure for Dak’Art 2016, with the title « The City in the Blue Daylight », Simon Njami chose an extract from a poem written by Leopold Sedar Senghor : « Your voice tells us about the Republic that we shall erect the City in the Blue Daylight In the equality of sister nations. And we, we answer: Presents, Ô Guélowâr ! » Those verses inspire Simon Njami’s ambition for the Biennale : to make Dak’Art a « new Bandung for Culture ». 3 2. THE CITY IN THE BLUE DAYLIGHT 3. WHO’S SIMON NJAMI « Your voice tells us about the that could apply on a global level, to Simon Njami (born in 1962 in Lau- ennale (2010), Picha (Lumumbashi Republic that we shall erect the insure Dakar’s role in the develop- sanne) is a writer and an indepen- Biennale – 2010), SUD (Douala Tri- City in the Blue Daylight ment of a more balanced interna- dent curator, lecturer, art critic and ennale – 2010), among others exhi- In the equality of sister nations. tional art scene. If, indeed, Dakar’s essayist. bitions and international art events. And we, we answer: Presents, role in Africa, in the transformation He has published his first novel The exhibition “The Divine Com- Ô Guélowâr ! » and dissemination of contemporary “Cercueil et Cie” in 1985, followed by edy – Heaven, Hell, Purgatory by practices is crucial, thanks to Pres- “Les Enfants de la Cité” in 1987, “Les Contemporary African Artists” was Léopold Sédar Senhor ident Senghor who understood the Clandestins” and “African Gigolo” in shown at MMK, The SCAD Muse- importance of culture of any devel- 1989, notably. He wrote two biog- um of Art and at Smithsonian Insti- The title of the pan-African exhibi- opment, the danger the Senegalese raphies, about James Baldwin and tution/ African Art Museum, Wash- tion is closely linked to the general biennale might be face with is the Léopold Sédar Senghor. ington, from 2014 to 2015. theme of the biennale that invites replication of what is conceived in Njami is the co-founder of Re- He recently curated the Walther artistes and beyond the artists all Af- the West. If Africa remains our pri- vue Noire, a journal of contempo- Collection at Maison Rouge (Paris), ricans to invent new strategies and ority, we must, nevertheless, create rary African and extra-occidental end of 2015, beginning of 2016. aesthetics in order to re-enchant the some new tools of reflection and art, and he was Visiting Professor world and the continent. That for implementation of new ways and at UCSD (University of San Diego me, how to translate the erection new ideas regarding theories, prac- California). of that City in a Blue Daylight that tices and production. After conceiving the Ethnicolor Senghor was wishing for and that is This is the reason why I have Festival in Paris in 1987, he curat- yet to be build. Africa once had the decided to invite five guest curators ed many international exhibitions useful dream of freeing it self from from regions that are not explored being among the first ones to think any form of domination. During the enough, to rebuild new networks of and show African contemporary art- independences period, all countries communication and to exchange on ists work on international stages. chanted and danced, caught in the social and curatorial experiences. He has served as Artistic Director enchantment of a world to invent, These new dialogues, I believe, will of Bamako Encounters, the African relationships to forge. More than bear fruits for the future. And set a Photography Biennale, from 2001 half a century later, some have been space for new platforms of interac- to 2007. Njami is the curator of “Af- abused; others have lost that en- tions. rica Remix”, showed in Düsseldorf thusiastic flame that was enlight- (Museum Kunst Palast), London ening their gazes. That flame that (Hayward Gallery), Paris (Centre is the only drive capable of giving Pompidou), Tokyo (Mori Museum), the strength to change things. The Stockholm (Moderna Museet) and re-enchantment is the ability to in- Johannesburg (Johannesburg Art stil a new energy, a new creativity, Gallery), from 2004 to 2007. He and a new driving force. co-curated the first African Pavilion The equality of the sisters na- at the 52nd Venice Biennale. He cu- tions forces us, once we have de- rated the first African Art Fair, held clared the role of the Dakar biennale in Johannesburg in 2008, and was in Africa, to reflect on the strategies the Artistic Director of Luanda Tri 4 5 4. THE PROGRAM OF DAK’ART 2016 The international exhibition: Carte Blanche pose an exhibition of three to five Ouso Chakola, Martin Chramosta, Re-enchantments This first carte blanche will be of- artists who would globally reflect Samit Das, Julien Froment, Pisur- The title of the main exhibition is fered to the Doual’art space in Cam- the theme of the 2016 edition. We wo Jitendra Suralkar, Raphaël Jul- closely related to the overall theme eroon, in tribute to Didier Schaub. will ensure that these exhibitions liard, Naresh Kumar, Saviya Lopes, of the biennial which invites artists, Last year, Didier Schaub, co-founder are financed by the countries of ori- François Mazabraud, Aurélien Mole, and above all Africans, to invent and artistic director of the Doual’Art gin of the guest curators. The invit- Charlotte Moth, Somnath Mukher- new ways to re-enchant the world space, left us. Since the early 90s, ed curators, their projects and the jee, Seema Nusrat, Amol K Patil, and the continent. Africa, the prac- Didier Schaub and Marilyn Douala participating artists are: Mai-thu Perret, Chloé Quenum, tical dream of a liberated Africa, re- Bell, his wife, have been promot- Fazal Rizvi, Mithu Sen, Janek Simon, sponsible for herself, the dream of ers and defenders of contemporary Nadine Bilong (Cameroon) Eric Stephany, Sawangwongse Yan- a continent whose sons sang and creation in Africa. It is a tribute to Title: Le Manifeste de la Cité dans le wghwe. danced the freedom recovered at their pioneering commitment and jour bleu independence, caught in the spell through them, to the work produced With: Jean-François Boclé, Fred Eba- Sujong Song (Korea) of a future to be reinvented, has by private organizations across the mi, Myriam Mihindou, Marc Alexan- Title: Hybrid/ Metamorphosis had its ups and downs. Some have continent, that is given. dre Oho Bambe & Albert Morisseau With: Wang Qingsong, Phan Quang, been disillusioned, others have lost, Leroy, Barthélémy Toguo. Noh Suntag, Pradeep Thalawatta, in their gaze, this enthusiastic flame Anida Yoeu Ali. which alone can give the strength Invited Curators Orlando Britto (Canary Islands) to change things. The re-enchant- Dakar capital of the world is the Title: About denaturalizations, car- ment is the reintroduction of new principle that underlies this section, tographies and legends URBI energy, a new creativity, a new mo- as it does that of the invited coun- With: Idaira del Castillo, Marc Lata- Co-curated by Simon Njami and mentum. List of the artists below. tries section. The Senegalese capital mie, Valeriano Lopez. Delphine Calmettes, this pro- must become the place where con- gramme has been designed to temporary spaces are discovered Solange Farkas (Brazil) build a network throughout the A Tribute to the Senegalese art- and appreciated that even Europe Title: Crossings city and re-enchant popular places ist: Issa Samb aka Joe Ouakam has not had the curiosity to explore. With: Sonia Gomes, Daniel Lima, which up until now had been left (Sénégal) By inviting people who, thousands Thiago Martins de Melo, Paulo Naz- dormant. La Corniche, on which we of kilometers away, are asking the areth, Moises Patricio. plan to install shipping containers And Tributes to: question of art with the same terms that will be artist studios and in- Great artists have passed away in that it is debated on the continent, Valentina Levy (Italy) formation kiosks, the Market, the the course of the past months: Ou- we are expanding the range of pos- Title: The witnesses of the invisible Place de L’Indépendance whose mar Ly (Sénégal), Souleymane Keita sibilities by breaking the frustrating With: Stefano Canto, H.H. Lim, Emo hotel’s facade could be revitalized (Sénégal), Amadou Sow (Sénégal), North / South dichotomy that has de Medeiros, Chai Siris by graffiti artists and many other Ismaïla Manga (Sénégal), Sidy Di- prevailed for too long. We intend to places will be invested to give each allo (Sénégal), Leila Alaoui (Maroc- assert the international character of Sumesh Sharma (India) Dakarois, and beyond that each co-France) and Kiripi Katembo (DR Dak’Art, its openness to the world, Title: India’s surch for power 1966- Senegalese, the opportunity to par- of Congo).