dëkandoo: visual artist residency (senegal)

The Dëkandoo Artistic Residence, in collaboration with the Cultural Section of the Spanish Embassy in Senegal, Cultura Dakar, the Instituto Cervantes of Dakar, the Cultural Centers of Spain in Bata and Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, and Casa África launch a call for research and production residencies for exhibition, aimed at artists of Spanish or Equatoguinean origin, as well as all those who identify with these territories and wish to develop a research and artistic creation project linked to the commune of Gandiol and the Natural Park of the Langue de Barbarie.

This five-week residency (beginning 1 November 2023) is conceived as an immersion experience in the local environment that will trigger a creative process in dialogue with the geographical, natural, social, economic, historical or even spiritual context. The call is open to a wide variety of disciplines that can be encompassed within visual art. Proposals that explore expanded artistic media, such as textile art, ceramics, woodworking or recycling, in which design, creativity and innovation play a central role, are strongly encouraged. Work with local artisans and/or artists will also be fostered. As a conceptual objective, the aim is to create works that provide a reflection on the territory and the relationship of human beings with their physical and natural environment, including their beliefs and cultural practices.

As a result of the residency, and in the context of the Partcours 2023 programme, a group exhibition will be held at the headquarters of the Instituto Cervantes in Dakar, which will host the works created during the stay, as well as material documenting the process of creation. The Partcours initiative arose from the desire to promote the activity of art spaces, galleries, museums and foundations operating in the city of Dakar, creating synergies and mobilising the public around contemporary art. With eleven editions held to date, it has become an unmissable event for the cultural sector in Senegal, with an increasingly international projection, and constitutes a true platform for all those interested in art. Through this exhibition, the artistic diversity of the Spanish-speaking world and the networks of Spanish cultural institutions that make the project possible will be highlighted.