© Centre Soleil d'Afrique
Since its inception in 1999, the Centre Soleil d’Afrique artists’ association has become one of the most important actors in Mali’s art scene. With starting grants from the Dutch Prince Claus Fund and other supporters, the help and guidance from the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, as well as a long-term partnership with the African artists’ network RAIN, Centre Soleil d’Afrique has established itself as a space for cultural exchange and artistic encounters between young visual artists.
The association is primarily concerned with improving the working and living conditions of Malian artists and providing the space for them to develop their ideas and their art, with a particular emphasis on the further development and transformation of traditional media and on artistic engagement with social change and contemporary issues such as the environment and climate change. With its residency program, workshops, discussions, and exhibitions as well as its promotion of exchange between artists from Mali and other countries, Centre Soleil d’Afrique functions as a lively center of inspiration for artistic practice in Bamako.
