Arébénor Basséne
Born 1974 in Dakar, Senegal
Lives and works in Dakar, Senegal
From the great empires of Africa to those across the Mediterranean basin, it is the stutterings of history that give birth to Arébénor Basséne’s work. Basséne approaches his canvas like a document to sketch out an imaginary testimony from the past. Historical sources and supports, such as parchments and archeological remains, raise questions in regards to one’s access to the past – like that of Africa buried under the dust of past centuries. Basséne uses gum Arabic – a historically attractive commodity to foreign sailors — as well as ink used in koranic teaching tablets, henna, crushed wood, and natural pigments from the region. With history’s plural stories, its falsifications, and its proofs, there is a tension between historical truth and myth that prompts a pictorial realm for the artist.
Arébénor Basséne, From Bandiagara to Niagara, 2021, Mixed technique on kraft paper mounted on canvas, 419 x 219cm. Courtesy of Selebe Yoon.|Arébénor Basséne, Les 100, Mixed technique on paper, 33 x 24 cm each. Courtesy of Selebe Yoon.|Arébénor Basséne, From Bandiagara to Niagara, 2021, Mixed technique on kraft paper mounted on canvas, 419 x 219cm. Courtesy of Selebe Yoon.

Artists 2022