French Instructions here. Please reach out to our team if you have any language barriers. We are available to assist in French and Wolof.

About Black Rock Senegal

Black Rock Senegal is a multidisciplinary artist-in-residence program founded by renowned artist Kehinde Wiley in 2019. Named for the volcanic rocks that blanket its shoreline, the residency brings together international artists to live and work on the northwest coast of Dakar, Senegal, for 1–3 month stays. Our mission is to support new artistic creation through collaborative exchange and to incite change in the global discourse about Africa.

How to Enter

Black Rock Senegal holds an open call for applications once a year and is open to any applicant over the age of 18. All applicants must submit their application via this portal and include a cover letter, CV, and a portfolio of their work (including images and descriptions). Please note that we will not accept applications that do not follow the guidelines. There is no fee for submitting an application.

The portfolio requirements are dependent on the category you are applying under: Painting, Photography, Textile, Film, Sound/Performance, Mixed Media, and Sculpture. You will be asked to upload “Projects,” each with a certain amount of images or files allowed. All projects must be submitted under the same category. Each “Project” should be viewed as a grouping of files, either as artworks in a single series or multiple detailed images of a single artwork. Please note, each individual “Project” will require a tile, year of creation and project description. Each individual image/file you upload within each “Project” will require an image title, year of creation, medium, and image description.

What Residents Receive

Residents are provided room, board, and individual studios, as well as access to a number of shared spaces such as the library, gym, sauna, swimming pool and gardens. Residents are provided with a local staff to assist in navigating Dakar and a language tutor to assist with English, French, and Wolof– the three primary languages of the program. Residents are also provided a stipend to be used to purchase supplies and attend cultural activities while in residency.

Past selection committee members have included

Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, BRS Alumni, Y1; Osei Bonsu, Curator of International Art, Tate Modern; Kimberly Drew, Director, Pace Gallery; Larry Ossei-Mensah, Curator and Co-founder, ARTNOIR; Antwaun Sargent, Writer, Curator and Director, Gagosian; Adam Weinberg, Director, Whitney Museum of American Art; Swizz Beatz, Artist; Thelma Golden, Director, Studio Museum in Harlem; Thomas Lax, Curator, The Museum of Modern Art; Christine Riding, Head of the Curatorial Department, The National Gallery; Mickalene Thomas, Artist; and Carrie Mae Weems, Artist; Sir David Adjaye OBE, Architect; Amoako Boafo, Artist; Naomi Campbell, Model and Activist; Yagazie Emezi, Artist and 2019 Black Rock Senegal Resident; Christine Kim, Curator, LACMA; and Anne Pasternak, Director, The Brooklyn Museum; Jeffrey Deitch, Curator and Gallerist; Aissa Dione, Textile Designer; Reni Folawiyo, Entrepreneur; Cathia Lawson, Art Collector; Glenn Ligon, Artist; and Katherina Olschbaur, Artist and former Black Rock Senegal Resident.