The Head of State, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, visited, this Friday, the International Exhibition (In) of the 15th Biennale of Contemporary African Art in Dakar (Dak’Art), which continues until 7 next December, noted the Aps.
After the official opening ceremony which he chaired, Thursday November 7 at the Grand Théâtre national, the President of the Republic came to see, this Friday afternoon, the works of the 58 artists selected in the “In”. On his arrival, he was welcomed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Creative Industries and Historical Heritage, Bakary Sarr, the Secretary General of the biennial, Marième Ba, and the Artistic Director, Salimata Diop. For more than an hour, the Head of State toured the different spaces set up for the occasion, notably the collectors’ exhibition on the first floor, the design section, before continuing his visit and seeing the works of the different artists.
President Faye also went to the tribute area where he was welcomed by visual artist Anta Germaine Gaye. He carefully followed the explanations given by the Artistic Director and the two exhibition curators, Kalidou Kassé and Ousmane Mbaye. He also saw the works of award-winning artists, notably that of Dior Thiam, ECOWAS Prize, and the Grand Prix Léopold Sédar Senghor, the Martinique Agnès Brézéphin. Bassirou Diomaye Faye did not speak at the end of his visit, but insisted on receiving a gift from the biennial consisting of catalogs from this edition and a poster, among others.
Bacary Sarr welcomed this visit by the Head of State which, he said, is “a great honor”. “It is quite an honor to make the visit with the Head of State. Throughout the journey, we saw all the interest that the President of the Republic gave to this artistic work which was done in general, the works, the format, the itinerary, etc.,” he welcomed. Mr. Sarr. He believes that this visit is a way of “enhancing” the event. “This will help to better establish the prestige of the biennial,” he added. For Salimata Diop, this trip by the President of the Republic is “a symbol, a recognition”. “It went well. The President said he was happy with this visit. Which made us and our teams very happy, especially in this context where he is very busy, he wanted to come and see the work that was done to congratulate us,” she said.
“A journey to the heart of the audacity of artistic creation”
The Head of State Bassirou Diomaye Faye declares having made “a journey to the heart of audacity, of artistic creation”, at the end of a visit, Friday to the former Palace of Justice, where the Exhibition takes place international (In) of the 15th Biennale of Contemporary African Art in Dakar. “This afternoon [vendredi après-midi]I visited remarkable exhibitions as part of the Dakar Biennale at the old courthouse: the International Exhibition, that of collectors, design and the tribute to Anta Germaine Gaye,” he said. written on X (formerly Twitter). This visit, he says, is “a journey to the heart of the richness and audacity of artistic creation”.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye visited, on Friday, the international exhibition (In) of the 15th Biennale of Contemporary African Art in Dakar (Dak’Art). After the official opening ceremony that he chaired, Thursday, November 7, at the Grand Théâtre national, the President of the Republic came to see, to everyone’s surprise, the works of the 58 artists selected in the “In”. (…) Dak’art 2024 continues until December 7, on the general theme “The wake, the Awakening, the Sillage, Xàll wi”, a call for reflection on contemporary issues, particularly environmental and social.
