Senegalese Art Spotlight: Accent Galerie with Mamadou Guèye and Claudia Braunchweig

Mamadou Guèye

Accent Galerie in Toubab Dialaw features the artwork of Mamadou Guèye and Claudia Braunchweig.  The gallery was built by Claudia and Mamadou next to their personal residence.  They were gracious enough to host the Dakar Women's Group Art Committee and even gave us tea in the garden.

Accent Galerie

Mamadou, also known as Madou, is a self taught artist.  His formal training is as a geologist and his work give him access to core samples from which he can gather the pigments.  He paints with pigments mixed with acrylic paint.  The effect is a subtly textured painting that reminds one of cave paintings.  Madou work reflects his professional interest in earth and stone and his intimate knowledge of the African landscape.  Mamadou has exhibited with the Biennale’s OFF exhibit in past years.  (Click here for info on this year's Biennale.)

pigments from a core drill

Claudia once owned a antiques shop in Germany and her experience in home decor is clear when one looks around the gallery.  She has created many art objects strategically placed around the gallery.  Many of her ideas are simple yet elegant. The items are also reasonably priced.  To visit Accent Galerie, call Claudia to schedule an appointment and get directions, (221) 77 653 1264 or (221) 33 836 3531.
Following the gallery visit we had lunch at the Sobo Bade.  Sobo Bade is a hotel with restaurant and embedded with little quirks and objects d' art everywhere you look.  We had a lovely lunch right by the ocean.  All in all it was a wonderful outing and I recommend it if you are looking for a short trip outside Dakar.

the studio

Sobo Bade

Madou's painting with subtle textures

more paintings by Madou

decor by Claudia

Senegal Art Spotlight: Village des Artes

Kine Aw in her studio

A small group of members from the Dakar Women's Group visited Village des Art in January.  The Village was originally built to house workers for the large soccer stadium and was turned over to the Ministry of Culture.  The Ministry of Culture opened it as a venue for studios and galleries to support working artists in 1998.  It is a cultural center of art in Senegal and is open to all visitors; although it is wise to call ahead and arrive sometime after noon. 
There are at least forty five workshops on site and my video below only covers some that were open on the day of my visit. During our visit we met and were privileged to speak with many of the artists and see their work environment.  Artists like Kine Aw, who shared her thoughts on abstracted figures and Issa Diop who explained the process of creating bronze sculpture using the lost wax process in his outdoor studio.  Many of the artists are also employed outside the village teaching in the schools and universities, exhibiting in Senegal and other countries and as art therapists.


Issa Diop explaining the lost wax process of scupting bronze

 I love the concept of a state supported art village.  It can be very difficult to make a living as an artist even with backing.  Senegal is drenched in art and the existence of this village shows the importance of art to Senegalese culture and identity.

One of the potters in residence

The outside of some workshops reflect the art within



 

Photos by Penney Hughes, except the photos of Kine Aw in her studio taken by Susan Graf

 

Music in the video:  Ya Oumana by Noura Mint Seymali used under a Creative Commons license from Live on WFMU's Transpacific Sound Paradise with Rob Weisberg - Sept 28, 2013 (Noura Mint Seymali) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0



Dakar Women's Group Art Show

This spring I had the honor of helping put on the Dakar Women's Group Art Show.  We spent a few months visiting artists and art shows and galleries and pulled together seventy four local artists to highlight in our show.  Some of our artists are well established and some are really just starting their careers. The purpose of the show is to support Senegalese artists and raise money for charites at the same time.  We sold around 25,000,000 CFA ($50, 000) of artwork, eighty percent of the price stays with the artists and twenty percent will go to local charities.

 

A painting by one of my favorite artists, Manel

Three small paintings, Manel.

 

The show has a tradition of asking the artists to donate a small canvas to the Squares Project.  This year's theme was Visage (face in French.)  One hundred percent of the proceeds from Squares Project sales go to charity.  The squares also create an affordable way for people to buy art from their favorite artists.



We were fortunate to find space at the IFAN, the African Museum of Arts in Dakar Senegal.  Here are some pictures showing the space. There were so many wonder pieces of art.  I have included some of my favorites below.



This group of works by Toni Okujeni, Yelli Ndoye Manel and Mamadou Saadio Diallo.

 These pieces are by Setou, Fode Camara, Amary Diop, Ismaila Manga and Arlette Diop. 

  The artists of this row are Issa Diop, Ousmane Sow, Sandiry Niang and Aime Clement Diompy.

 

 Works in this row are by Moustapha Badiane, Nathalie Chauvin and Sebastian Bouchard.



This amazing piece by Amary Diop is metal sheets sewn together with wire.

Should any of this artwork pique your interest, I have contact information for all of the artists that were in the show.