Overview

What can an art biennale in Dakar, Senegal, tell us about current discourses surrounding the place of art in the world, and in the academic study of anthropology? This volume investigates the Dak'Art biennale, ranked among the world's top 20 biennials, drawing upon fieldwork, archival research, and the experiences of those involved. In so doing, the chapters make a statement about the impact of globally-acting art biennials, contributing to current scholarship both on biennales and the anthropology of art scene more widely. Part I opens with the history of its foundation and considers it in conjunction with the rise of contemporary art in Senegal. Part II deals with the biennale's various objectives, selection strategies, exhibition spaces, platforms for debate, and discourses between the State, the secretariat and local artists and art world professionals. Part III examines the cyclical creation of contemporary African art, and questions if the Biennial creates local canonical practices. The Epilogue uses the Dak'art biennale to question assumptions around practice in general biennale scholarship and work. Featuring a dialogic structure between practitioners of art and anthropologists, this unique volume will be of interest to students of anthropology, art history and practice, African studies and curatorial practice.

Full Product Details

Author:   Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi ,  Thomas Fillitz
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.340kg
ISBN:  

9780367562717

ISBN 10:   0367562715
Pages:   232
Publication Date:   29 April 2022
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction ; Part 1: Historical Perspectives; 1. The Foundation and History of the Biennale of Dakar; 2. A Politico-Economic History of Modern and Contemporary Art in Senegal: From Négritude Current to the Logics of the Open Society; 3. The 'Distancing Children' from Senghor's Openness Take a Stance; Part 2: Dak’Art—The Biennale of Contemporary African Art; 4. Selection Committees, Selection Processes and Application Procedures; 5. Encounters and Exchanges: An Intellectual History of the Biennale of Dakar; 6. Dak’Art and the Production of its Public; 7. The Biennale of Dakar and the State of Senegal; 8. Reimagining the Biennal of Dakar; Part 3: Contemporary African Art at Dak’Art; 10. The Making of a Canon: Historicizing Contemporary African Art at Dak’Art; 11. All the City is an Exhibition: The Dak’Art-Off in the Biennale and in Dakar’s Art World City; 12. Dak’Art’s Ecosystem: In and Out of Senegal; 13. EPILOGUE: Global Biennial Discourses: A Critical View from Dak’Art

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Author Information

Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi completed his PhD at Emory University, USA. He is a Visual Artist, Art Historian and Curator. He works at the Cleveland Museum of Art, USA.Thomas Fillitz is Professor of Cultural and Social Anthropology at the University of Vienna, Austria. He is the editor of An Anthropology of Contemporary Art (2017).

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