While the international art world descends on Dakar for the African art biennale, Senegalese artist Fally Sene Sow only has to gaze out the window to get inspiration in the chaotic street market outside his capital studio.
The
area in Dakar's Colobane district, which was formerly vibrant and lively,
became considerably more somber during the pandemic, causing Sow to create a
dystopian picture of what his neighborhood could become.
The
result is a 30-square-metre (323-square-foot) installation in which model
buildings are crumbling, bones dangle next to hybrid creatures, thunder rumbles
overhead, and decaying trash emits heat, all of which combine to create a
frightening mood.
"It's
mind-blowing," Ifeoma Dile, a London-based art fan, said of the Dakar
Biennale, which began on Thursday. "I'm getting chills just thinking about
it, and how long did it take him to produce all of this in this space? It's
incredible."
Sow
is one of 59 artists or collectives officially selected for the exhibition -
one of the continent's oldest, large-scale celebrations of contemporary African
art - which runs until June 21.
Expectations
are heightened because this biennale, Dakar's 14th, is being held two years
late after the coronavirus pandemic forced a postponement in 2020.
Sow,
34, has spent the last three years preparing for the show. His main creative
tool is the rubbish he collects when he wanders around his street, including
discarded building materials, plastic sheets and disposable cups.
When
he's not working on his major Biennale piece, he creates little street tableaux
out of scraps, delicately painting ramshackle market scenes onto glass for his
modern take on traditional Senegalese'sous-verre', or painting under glass,
art.
"I
live in the heart of the market, so I have this theatre in front of me,"
he told Reuters on Wednesday from his messy studio, where he was finishing off
his mixed-media creations before they went on display.
People
in Sow's neighborhood, particularly his small tableaux of street life, are his
intended audience, not reviewers. "It's a chance for me to guide
them," he said of painting familiar scenes.
The
curators of the biennale have a same wish.
Approximately
250,000 art aficionados and world-movers are anticipated to visit displays at
the capital's several galleries and the vast Museum of Black Civilizations over
the next month.
A
series of art pieces, including a big yellow dog statue, have popped up along
Dakar's major coastal route, where many people gather at sunset to exercise and
catch up by the ocean, to bring the wider public into the festivities.
Sow
said, "In Senegal, few people consume art."
He
claims that seeing common market situations on canvas draws their attention and
makes them laugh, allowing the artist to convey the artwork's deeper message.
0 Comments