If you have been reading my blog posts you will know I have been following the Dak’art Biennale for contemporary African Arts via the internet for the last 3 weeks.

As part of my ‘online attendance’  I’ve been working on (different versions) drawings  or sketches of ‘Africa in Bloom’ which I feel captures the spirit of the Biennale.

A beautiful flower blooming on the west coast, with it’s roots in Dakar, nurtured by the whole continent:

Because I’m following the Biennale I remembered my visit to Touba and how my entire visit to Senegal in 2013 has been so important to me.

I felt so happy and at peace. So that’s how this drawing came about:

and here’s the black and white version:

To me it’s super important that artists use their voice to highlight issues in society, remind us of the important things in life and enable healing for the soul through a medium or form of expression that transcends ‘ordinary conversation’..

I love the work by Alexis Peskine, in particular his installation ‘Raft of Medusa’ which can still be seen in the Ancien Palais de Justice. (It’s a video installation):

(if you click on the images below you will go straight to his instagram account)

I will be back on Thursday with a final post for the Dak’art Biennale. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Much Love and Salam

Isabella