The Year Ahead
Now in its fifth year, Black Rock has served over 60 artists. 2024 will be filled with opportunities for our community to experience the work of the unique thinkers who have joined us to live and create in West Africa. We look forward to cross-cultural exchange, to sharing space with alumni from our Senegal residency, and to showcasing their work around the world. We look forward to partnerships and public programming that will support the growth of their practices beyond their time in residence and enrich the discourse between our growing community of artists. We remain committed to artists and to inciting change in the global discourse about what Africa means today; we hope to see you at one of these events below as we foster new generations of artistic dialogue.
FEBRUARY 2024
Join us in Marrakech from February 7-11th where we 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair and Black Rock will launch a two-year partnership. As part of this collaboration, Black Rock will be hosting an exhibition of alumni work highlighting Léonard Pongo (Year 4) and Devin B. Johnson (Year 1); a portion of the proceeds from the sales from the exhibition will go directly to benefiting Black Rock Sénégal’s residency program. In Marrakech, we will also spearhead a symposium bringing together artist-centric institutions on the continent; speakers include: Ndeye Filly Gueye, Curator of Programs, RAW Material Company; Ousseynou Wade, Independent Curator; Margaux Huille, Fondation H, Antananarivo, Madagascar; and Nadine Hounkpatin, Co-founder TheArtMomentum among others.
MAY 2024
Join us from May 1-4th in New York City where we will be the Special Projects partner at 1-54 New York. At this edition of the fair we will present a selection of alumni work, highlighting Grace Lynne Haynes (Year 1) and Tajh Rust (Year 1). A portion of the proceeds from the sales from the exhibition will go directly to benefiting Black Rock Sénégal’s residency program.
From May 16th to June 16th, Black Rock Sénégal will be hosting an exhibition of alumni work from years 3 and 4 of the residency at the Blaise Senghor Cultural Center in Dakar, Sénégal. The exhibition, titled Encounters, is curated by Jareh Das and is presented in various themed groupings based on the medium, drawing inspiration from experiences in Dakar during residency periods over the past two years. The opening party will take place on May 16th at 8 pm at the Blaise Senghor Cultural Center in Dakar and will feature performances and local vendors. Join us throughout the month for a series of programs ranging from artist talks to film screenings and festivals to celebrate the accomplishments of the artists-in-residence and their ongoing connections to Dakar.
AUGUST 2024
Join us on August 9th in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Harvey B. Gantt Center For African-American Arts + Culture where we will be opening an exhibition of alumni work. We are excited to partner with the Gantt center as a part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. The focus of this collaboration is to host exhibitions that highlight the talent and originality of the Black Rock Senegal artists-in-residence, showcasing the sheer breadth of the program’s participants as well as the impact of the locale in which these artists work.
NOVEMBER 2024
Emerging artists on the African continent are invited to apply for a mentorship program taking place in Dakar, Senegal, from November 25 to December 20, 2024. More information about the program and the mentors can be found HERE. To submit an application, please send a statement of purpose, a CV, and a portfolio to apply@blackrocksenegal.org by October 20, 2024.
PAST progrAMming
ñu dadje
In early 2023, we hosted our 2nd annual celebration of our open-call for applications: Ñu Dadje, which brought together local performers, artists-in-residence, scholars, and brands for a day of public programming. The 2nd edition featured an artist talk with resident Léonard Pongo, as well as a live painting performance by resident Panmela Castro.
At the end of the year, we hosted our 3rd edition of the day-long celebration, which featured application support, artist talks, dance workshops and live performances. Our residents Timothy Yanick Hunter and Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-Nti led panel discussions and resident Ngimbi Bakanbama Luve led a communal mural workshop open to the public.
Black rock 40 Exhibition
In 2022, Black Rock Sénégal was invited to participate in a special project during the 14th Edition of the DAK’ART Biennale (May 20th to June 21st, 2022) with the Maison de la Culture Douta Seck. For this special project, Kehinde Wiley curated a group exhibition, Black Rock 40, which featured the work of artists-in-residence from years 1 and 2 alongside Senegal-based artists who were integral to defining the first 2 years of the program. The resulting exhibition highlighted the resonance of Black Rock as a site of gathering, underscoring shared experiences between artists, and offering a powerful statement about the importance of place and of community.
