Unlike art fairs, biennials do not necessary possesses a specific commercial interest. They are often organized by internationally recognized curators and artists usually participate by invitation. With many African cities launching large-scale recurrent exhibitions including festivals, biennials and triennials, we’ve gathered a list of important biennials.

Dakar Biennale [Dak’Art] (1992)

Dak’Art is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Dakar, Senegal. It started with an alternate focus on literature and visual art and is now devoted to contemporary African art. This change helped the exhibition distinguish itself from other international biennials. The event is currently an essential platform for the visibility of African artists within the international art market. It has contributed to reveal new talents in the visual art scene, and valorize the creation of new models in contemporary African art.

This year, Dak’Art brought together nearly 60 artists from all across Africa and its diaspora. Inside several warehouses, a selection of paintings, sculpture, and installations were showcased to a large audience under the central theme of “Producing the Common”. The goal of the curators was to connect politics and aesthetics in a vigorous and sustained way

Biennale de l’Art Bantu Contemporain (1985)

Bantu Biennale was created at the initiative of the CICIBA (International Centre of Bantu Civilizations), a cultural organization dedicated to the study of Bantu peoples and based in Libreville, Gabon. It was designed as a traveling biennial hosted by several African countries members of CICIBA. Several editions were dedicated to address major issues of the continent such as political unrest and ecological preservation. To this point, the biennial gave opportunities to otherwise overlooked artists working locally. While it didn’t succeed to provide another look on African artistic scene with several artworks evocative of European modernist masters, the biennial effectively promote the culture and fine arts of the Bantu peoples.

Cairo Biennale (1984)

Cairo Biennale was inspired by Venice Biennale whose model is based on national pavilions representing selected countries. It was originally designed as a biennial of contemporary Arab art before opening up to international contemporary art in subsequent editions. The biennial depends primarily on the Egyptian government, which prevents it from opening to recent art movements such as conceptual art, performance art, and video art. Early editions of the biennial were also criticized for weak formats that depict the gap between private and public art sectors, with the former being more innovative than the latter. Recent editions of the biennial attempted to address these concerns by reducing the number of participants and giving more attention to individual works.

Alexandria Biennale for Mediterranean Countries (1955)

Alexandria Biennale was launched with the support of the Egyptian government to sustain the cultural and artistic dialog between Egypt and its neighboring countries extending it to the world as well. The event was held at the Alexandria Museum of Fine Arts and has enabled several Mediterranean countries to participate in discussions and workshops around visual arts. Most of the official selections and thematic frameworks dealt with a pro-Arab rhetoric. The biennial has managed to perpetuate this rhetoric in spite of shifting socio-cultural realities in the region.     

This year, the biennial returned despite endless challenges after the 25th edition in 2009. The primary theme of this year’s edition centered on the concept of change, with the intent that change may also serve as a catalyst for the future production of selected artists. The selection of artists was entirely decided by the curator rather than through countries’ nominations.

Sources: Contemporary African Art Since 1980, Okwui Enwezor and Chika Okeke-Agulu, Damiani, 2009