Espace Artcanes FR

16th Dakar Biennale · Dak’Art OFF 2026

Trait d’union: Tisser l’(Anti) Fragilité

Two threads of the same weave · 19 November – 19 December 2026 · Théodore Monod Museum, Dakar

A project led by Espace Artcanes with the Moroccan associations ARKANE and Art First, as part of the OFF label of the 16th Dakar Biennale.

The counter-shock

(Anti) Fragilité means going beyond simple resistance: growing stronger through hardship. Art becomes a counter-shock that repairs, absorbs and shields, turning wounds and memory into creative material.

Weaving

Vertical warp threads stand for roots, land and tradition. Horizontal weft threads stand for encounter, movement and sharing. Each work is a knot of fraternity between Morocco and Senegal.

The Olympic spirit

The residency takes place during the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. Fraternity, camaraderie and self-improvement feed the work of the eight artists, who stimulate rather than compete with one another.

Poster of Trait d’union: Tisser l’(Anti) Fragilité

The project at a glance

Artists
8: 4 from Senegal, 4 from Morocco
Parity
4 women, 4 men
Disciplines
Painting, weaving, ceramics, photography, sculpture
Production
40 new works, 5 per artist
Residency
21 days in Toubab Dialaw
Publication
An official catalogue, 300 copies

Programme

  1. 25 October – 15 NovemberCreative residency in Toubab Dialaw: 21 days of shared life and work, with painting, tapestry, ceramics and sculpture workshops.
  2. 31 October – 13 NovemberDakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, echoing the residency.
  3. 19 NovemberOpening of the exhibition at the Théodore Monod Museum, during the Dakar Biennale.
  4. Late NovemberRound table: Youth, sport and cultural industries, strengthening the Senegal–Morocco axis.
  5. 19 DecemberClosing of the exhibition.

Curators’ views

Abderrahmane Ouardane, ARKANE

The hyphen is not a softened border but an active passage: it separates as much as it connects, preserves singularities and opens a space between them. To weave is to bring together without making uniform. Creation does not deny vulnerability, it gives it a language.

Selma Naguib, Art First

An exhibition as a visual manifesto in the face of the chaos of the modern world, and a living laboratory where artists turn vulnerability into a driving force. Weaving to repair, weaving to reinvent oneself.

Eight artists, two shores

Who is behind it

  • Espace Artcanes, Dakar

    Initiative and organisation. Local anchoring and operational coordination in Senegal. Direction: Abdoulaye Racine Kane, CEO, and Idrissa Diallo, artistic director.

  • ARKANE, Casablanca

    Association founded in 2009 to promote art and safeguard heritage. Moroccan curation, with Abderrahmane Ouardane.

  • Art First Galerie, Morocco

    Travelling gallery founded in 2020, dedicated to the young Moroccan and African scene. Moroccan curation, with Selma Naguib.

A question about the project, a visit, a partnership?

Get in touch