Documenting Senegalese Cultural and Artistic Expression
Senegalese photographer Amy Sarr documents the different art forms that are embedded within the streets of Dakar and Saint-Louis.
Words and visuals by Amy Sarr
Senegal is by far my favorite place to shoot photos. While I might be biased as it is home to me, I do believe that there’s something particularly inspiring about Senegal and its art culture.
From the griot chants used to recount family history to the streets filled with murals, artistic expression holds a central place in Senegalese culture- so much so that we tend to forget how present it is.
Between the 20th century Festival Mondial des Arts Négres, to the Dakar Biennale, to Kehinde Wiley’s Black Rock residency, Senegal has always been a creative hub gathering and inspiring creatives from around the globe. Why is this? What makes Senegal inspiring to artists?
I found my answer to this question as I began paying attention to all of the art surrounding me in Senegal. Looking through the streets of the country’s cities,I noticed that there are endless sources of inspiration within different art forms. To me, the constant stimulation plays a vital part in attracting and inspiring creatives.
For the past few years, I have been documenting this art culture that can be found throughout Dakar and Saint-Louis- from street art, to architecture, to fashion. Through this, I noticed that art is used to celebrate Senegalese culture, sometimes within the most banal spaces, which places popular art at the center of this cultural expression.
One of my ongoing projects, Chasing The Flag, has been one of my favorites as I love finding the different ways in which the Senegalese flag is placed and embedded throughout the streets of the country. Once you begin paying attention, you start seeing it everywhere, placed in the most original ways. It is the prime example of how the Senegalese use art as a form of patriotic expression.
I could not talk about Senegalese popular art without mentioning the infamous car rapides, painted buses that have become symbols of the streets of Dakar. This culture of beautifully decorating transportation goes beyond car rapides and beyond aesthetic purposes as they also contain various cultural and religious symbols.
To me, this is what makes Senegal such a hub for creatives. It’s an endless cycle of inspiration, creation and sharing. If you were so surrounded by art, wouldn’t you be inspired to create some as well?
With this long tradition of using popular art as a form of cultural expression, works that reflect societal realities can now be found in all parts and spheres of Senegalese cities.
One of the core aspects of my work has been focused on chasing and showing this art culture, which might just make me a product of this tradition of cultural expression through artistic practice.
