"There is a lack of strong unifying bodies in Senegalese contemporary art"
Trained in tourism and hotel management in Senegal, Astou Sall specialised in marketing and management after several years' experience in consultancy and sales of cultural and tourism products in France. In 2012, she set up Jëndalma, a gallery promoting artists from Africa and its diaspora around the world. She heads the collective ‘Les Fous de Dakar’, which brings together artists to organise exhibitions, exchanges and so on. In this interview, she shares her experience, talks about the ills of visual art in Senegal and the importance of digitalising the sector. Interview.
What is your story with art ?
Ever since I was young, I've been very sensitive to design, decoration and handmade work. In 2014, I started a collection of works of art by artists I worked with. And, aware of a real need for support for craftspeople, artists and entrepreneurs often in the informal sector, I launched my consultancy company in Dakar in 2016 to help them develop their business.
At the time, I helped organise an exhibition as part of the Dakar Biennale Off. In 2018, we also organised an exhibition as part of the Off ‘’Femmes d'antan, inspiration d'aujourd'hui‘’, and then we set up an artists' workshop.
Since then, we've set up an artists' collective, “Les Fous de Dakar”. The idea is to bring them together to organise exhibitions, exchanges and, soon, training courses. There is a real need to professionalise artists and art. This year, we've just launched our online contemporary art gallery.
Today, our start-up Jendalma Art & Design aims to promote artists from Africa and its diaspora around the world.
You have a physical site. Between this and the virtual one, who gets the most visits?
We have an artists' studio in Mamelles, Ouakam. The idea is to provide an environment conducive to creation, enabling young artists to flourish in a real estate environment that is difficult in terms of rent and space.
It's far too early to make an assessment of our online site, which was officially launched at the beginning of March. But, in two years, we've already developed a strong community on Instagram, with over 10,000 followers, including many fans of Senegalese and African artists, including collectors. We're encouraged by this.
Do you think that an art gallery will generate income in Senegal, where many people don't have the culture to go to museums and galleries?
The advantage of the virtual gallery is that people don't have to travel to see a work of art. It's true that galleries and museums can be intimidating for some people, but on digital, anyone can admire and contemplate a work of art and even buy a work on our site without having to go anywhere.
On our social networks and on our blog, we also present exhibitions that we visit in Senegal and France to democratise art. There's no need for an invitation or a plane ticket! The idea is also to offer something different and complementary to what traditional art galleries, which often have little presence on the Internet, have to offer.
At Jëndalma Art & Design, we have chosen this medium to promote our artists: it can reach a new local clientele but, above all, it targets the international market, as we are based in Senegal and in France, where we have opened a branch.
Our aim is to facilitate access to the international market for young and established talent from Africa and its diaspora, thanks to the possibility of online purchase and delivery in Africa, but above all in Europe and North America, where contemporary art is very dynamic.
Is your gallery large enough to host exhibitions on an international scale?
We represent artists. The first step is to make them known. Thousands of art lovers in Africa, Europe and North America now follow us on social networks. In Senegal, we already take part in the Dakar Biennale Off every two years, and we organise events every year. Our collective ‘Les Fous de Dakar’ already organised its first ‘Street Expo’ last August and is due to take part in the next Biennale.
After that, we want to forge partnerships with the art world to organise events abroad. It's premature to talk about this at the moment, given the current health crisis, but we have our place, because contemporary art from Africa is starting to take off in Europe and America, with fairs and auctions specially dedicated to it.
Today, it's mainly European galleries that represent African artists. It really is time for us to represent our artists and sell in Western countries!
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the artists who have placed their trust in us.
Is your gallery large enough to host exhibitions on an international scale?
As I said earlier, Jëndalma Art & Design is not just about online sales, but a whole range of services, from the creation to the distribution of contemporary art.
We have an artists' studio to give young artists the best possible setting in which to flourish, we advise and coach artists and cultural players in their communications, and we organise events.
The online gallery is a concrete expression of our upstream initiatives to promote artists and works of art. Jëndalma Art & Design also advises private individuals, collectors and professionals (decorators, interior designers) on the purchase of works of art.
The aim may be to decorate the home or to invest in works by talented artists. For businesses, buying works of art is a major way of enhancing their premises and giving them a good brand image, and it can also be a good medium- or long-term investment!
On what basis do you work with artists?
Let me make it clear from the outset that we sign contracts with each of the artists we work with. This means that they have to sign up to an approach in which the commitments on our part and those of the artist are precisely defined: we're not in the informal sector!
We select painters, sculptors and photographers on the basis of the quality of the works they have already produced, their artistic approach and our own sensibilities. Every artist can contact us on our website to apply. We choose artists with potential, and work with them to define how we can best work together to ensure that their work is recognised.
After that, it's in everyone's interest to receive fair remuneration for their work: creative work for the artist and promotional and marketing work for us. We invest upstream to promote the artist and their work.
Artists also need to understand that if they are not already known internationally, our investments need to be long-term. It's a long-term process before we achieve success!
How do you feel about visual art in Senegal?
There are many talented artists in Senegal. The country has a recognised history in contemporary art in Africa and around the world. But for several years now, we've seen a decline, whereas countries like South Africa, Morocco and Côte d'Ivoire, for example, have many artists exhibiting at international art fairs in Marrakech, Cape Town, Paris and New York.
The state and artists tend to pass the quid, but I think the responsibility is shared.
On the one hand, the state allocates few resources to culture. Even though efforts are being made, I think we need to create more events and spaces dedicated to art: fairs, exhibitions, grants, artists' residencies, etc. Only the Biennale and a few privately sponsored events survive. State support is hard to come by, and private sponsors and patrons show little interest in culture. Artists are left to their own devices: they have no one to talk to.
It should be added that Senegal is lagging behind in digitalising the sector. The presence of Senegalese museums and cultural spaces on the Internet and social networks is either non-existent or not very dynamic.
On the other hand, as far as the artists are concerned, I see a lack of communication between them. There is a lack of strong unifying bodies in Senegalese contemporary art (associations, collectives, etc.). And artists need to professionalise their activity, get out of the informal sector and accept professional support so that they can devote themselves fully to creation.
The lack of ‘scientific’ research and a clear artistic approach is an obstacle to standing out. Sometimes they get caught up in a spiral, producing an enormous amount of work to meet their family's daily needs. This is understandable, as most are breadwinners, but it comes at the expense of the search for innovative ideas. And that's what makes the difference internationally!
What impact has the current crisis had on your work?
Covid-19 took everyone by surprise. Nobody expected a health crisis affecting the whole world. All sectors have been affected, including art, which is closely linked to culture and tourism. The Biennial of Contemporary African Art scheduled for 28 May has been postponed. This is the biggest event in Senegal, so it will have a major impact.
We were due to take part with an original exhibition involving seven artists that we had been preparing with them for several months. We hope that new dates will be set once the crisis is over. It is imperative that this exhibition takes place to avoid even more negative repercussions for the artists.
Internationally, museums, galleries and auction rooms are closed; at our level, our artists' studio is closed.
We are very much in the virtual world, but our logistics, an important part of our business, have been affected. This crisis is creating difficulties in transporting works. We have had to cancel our sales meetings, and part of our communications strategy has been put on hold pending a return to normal.
Fortunately, our strong presence on social networks is helping us to maintain links with the outside world and to help all those who follow us escape from their ‘confined’ daily lives thanks to our artists.
Everyone needs to stay at home, and all the artists are doing their bit to raise awareness. Art also has an educational function, and we must salute all the artists who, despite their daily difficulties, are mobilising to relay messages of prevention in the face of the epidemic! I hope that the State of Senegal will think of them to help and assist them at this difficult time.
INTERWIEWED BY BABACAR SY SEYE
Read the article in the 8 July 2020 edition of Enquête +: click here!
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