A multidisciplinary artist-in-residence program founded in 2019, Black Rock the residency brings together international artists to live and work in Dakar, Senegal for 1-3 month stays. With a mission to support new artistic creation through collaborative exchange and to incite change in the global discourse about Africa, the residency has announced artists in residence for the 2024-2025 period.
Artists include Bassirou Fall, a Senegalese artist whose background is in bicycle repairing. Over the years, Fall has developed a deep connection with mechanics and raw materials. A locomotion is found at the heart of the artist’s practice, sometimes in the form of men on driftwood boats, paintings or even incorporated into installations. Fall incorporates other materials such as jute bags, iron wires, wrought iron and the “Malicanne” fabric. This diversity of materials goes beyond the simple act of creation. Between mechanical rigor and artistic sensitivity Fall discusses current issues such as illegal immigration, global warming and, more broadly, the social issues of his time.
Wezile Hermans is a South African visual art practitioner whose interdisciplinary practice encompasses performance, video, installation, and mixed-media works as a tool for social change. His work confronts prejudices and advocates against social inequality, creating a platform for critical self- reflexivity within unwelcoming spaces. In his practice, he uses the theory of defamiliarisation as an alternative way to create conversation around movements, reactions, as well as human behaviors and their symbolic meanings.
Carlos Idun-Tawiah is a Ghanaian photographer and filmmaker based in Accra, Ghana. Inspired by Africa’s rich photographic archives, Idun-Tawiah seeks to remark and reimagine the ever-changing landscapes of Black life. His photographs are mostly characterised with subject matters around the vernacular, community, faith, hope, and love. Through his fictionalized photographic stories, Idun-Tawiah is committed to carefully accenting Black beauty and depth, by telling the African story with sincerity and grace.
Other artists in residence at the Black Rock Segal during the 2024-2025 period are Franco-Sudanese artist Abdel El Tayeb, New York based artist Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, Ranti Bam, Natalie Baszile, and Michela Tabaton-Osbourne to name a few. This residence cycle will run from September 2024 until June 2025 in Dakar.
Black Rock provides residents with a local staff to assist in navigating Dakar and a language tutor to assist with English, French, and Wolof –the three primary languages of the program. Residents are offered a modest stipend for incidentals and additional art supplies. One of the most unique elements of the program is the opportunity to engage with Dakar and its surrounding areas.
