Dakar Biennale: the history of Dak’Art, from 1990 to the 2026 edition
From the first edition devoted to literature in 1990 to the 16th Biennale announced for 19 November–19 December 2026, Dak’Art reflects more than thirty years of African creativity, exchange and Dakar’s transformation into a major art capital.
In Dakar, the Biennale is more than an exhibition. Every two years, it turns the city into a space for creativity, debate and encounters. Museums, galleries, former administrative buildings, studios, independent venues and OFF events become stages in one shared story: that of contemporary African art and its diasporas.
The story began in the late 1980s. The Dakar Biennale was established by the Senegalese state in 1989. Its first edition, held in 1990, focused on literature. In 1992, the event turned to contemporary art. From 1996 onward, Dak’Art asserted the identity that would become its hallmark: contemporary African and diasporic creation.
This direction did not emerge from nowhere. Dakar already had a strong cultural history, shaped in particular by the 1966 World Festival of Negro Arts and the cultural policy developed under Léopold Sédar Senghor. Dak’Art follows that legacy with a different ambition: to provide African artists with a major recurring international event on the continent itself.
Over successive editions, the Biennale became a meeting point for artists, curators, critics, collectors, galleries, researchers, journalists and the public. It has helped introduce new generations of creators while giving greater visibility to artistic scenes across Africa and its diaspora.
One of Dak’Art’s most distinctive features is its OFF programme. Alongside the official programme, many independent exhibitions and initiatives take place across Dakar and, increasingly, in other Senegalese cities. The OFF extends the Biennale beyond institutions and allows artists, collectives, galleries and alternative venues to join the wider momentum.
In 2024, the 15th edition ran from 7 November to 7 December after being postponed. Its theme, “The Wake, L’Éveil, Le Sillage, Xàll wi”, invited connections between past, present and future. The international exhibition brought together 58 artists from Africa and the diaspora, working across photography, sculpture, illustration, virtual reality and sound art.
In 2026, Dak’Art begins a new chapter. The 16th edition is announced in Dakar from 19 November to 19 December 2026. Morad Montazami is the artistic director. The official theme, “(Anti)fragility: arts of repair and strategies of backlash”, develops a central idea: fragility can become a resource for creation, care, transmission and reconstruction.
The 2026 curatorial project is organised around several strands, including arts of marronnage, care and repair, knowledge sharing, relationships between continents, and a plan to “re-green” the former courthouse. The official selection announced in September 2026 includes 75 artistic proposals: 54 for the International Exhibition and 21 for the Design Section, alongside a Grand Témoin and a Carte Blanche.
Why does Dak’Art matter so much? Because it does not present Africa merely as an exhibition subject. From Dakar, it places African and diasporic artists at the centre of the conversation. It shows how contemporary creation addresses memory, cities, ecology, migration, identity, technology, spirituality, power relations and possible futures.
For visitors, the Biennale is also a different way to discover Dakar. A journey can begin at an official exhibition in the former courthouse, continue in a Plateau gallery, and then move to a studio, an OFF exhibition or an event in another neighbourhood. The city itself becomes part of the experience.
The photographs accompanying this article are archives from earlier editions of Dak’Art. They do not depict the 2026 edition. They illustrate the atmosphere and some of the places that have shaped the Biennale’s recent history.
Key information for 2026: the 16th Dakar Biennale is announced for 19 November–19 December 2026 in Dakar. Artistic director: Morad Montazami. Theme: “(Anti)fragility: arts of repair and strategies of backlash”. Before travelling, always check the official programme for opening times, venues and possible changes.
Sources: official Dakar Biennale website — https://biennaledakar.org/ ; Biennale history — https://biennaledakar.org/histoire/ ; 2026 launch and selection — https://biennaledakar.org/selection-2026/ ; 2026 press release — https://biennaledakar.org/2026/01/26/communique-de-presse/ ; UNESCO review of the 2024 edition — https://www.unesco.org/fr/articles/pour-des-echanges-equilibres-des-biens-et-services-culturels-et-legalite-des-genres-wake-leveil-le