The Dakar Biennale Off: A Collector's Guide to Getting Organised

The Off of the Dakar Biennale brings together, alongside Dak'Art's official international exhibition, a large number of shows run by galleries, collectives, artist studios and private venues across the city. According to the Biennale's official site, a venue can register for the Off without going through any selection process, which explains both its scale and its unevenness. For a collector, getting organised during these weeks takes a bit of planning. Here is how, without naming any venue or programme for the 2026 edition, since that schedule takes shape in the months before opening.

What the Off actually is

The Off is not a programme curated by the Biennale itself: it is an open framework that any venue can join without a selection committee, under rules published by the organisers. That openness shapes what you will find there: established galleries, young collectives, artist studios, villas turned into exhibition spaces, even shops that hang work for the occasion. Quality and format vary widely from one venue to the next, which is the natural trade-off of a programme with no filter.

Why that changes how you plan

Given a programme this broad, a visitor there for the international exhibition and a collector there to buy do not quite need the same approach. The first can simply follow the official schedule. The second is better off targeting ahead of time: scouting venues whose line matches their taste, rather than trying to see everything in a calendar this packed.

Before you travel: scout the venues

A few useful habits for planning a trip to Dakar during the Biennale period.

• Check official announcements as soon as they are published for the list of venues taking part in the Off for the current edition.
• Group venues by neighbourhood: the city is large, and getting from one point to another takes time.
• Note venues already showing artists you follow, rather than picking at random.
• Plan for several days: a programme this dense cannot be covered in one day, even sticking to a few neighbourhoods.
• Book accommodation early, given the strong international turnout past editions have drawn.

While you are there: look, note, compare

Once on the ground, a collector's method looks much like the one used for any opening: a first quick pass through the room, then coming back to the pieces that hold your attention. Our guide to attending an art opening in Dakar covers that way of looking in more depth, and it applies just as well to the Off. Keep a record of what you see: artist, title, technique, venue, so you can compare later without losing track in such a packed schedule.

Travelling between the official exhibition and the Off

Most visitors split their time between the official international exhibition and the Off, rather than treating them as two separate trips. A practical rhythm is to start each day at one or two official venues, where the curatorial thread of the edition is clearest, then spend the rest of the day moving through Off venues in a given neighbourhood. That order helps a collector read the Off against the backdrop the official exhibition sets, rather than the other way around, and it avoids the fatigue of crossing the city back and forth within a single day.

Buying during the Biennale

Each Off venue sets its own sales terms: some post prices, others give them on request, which is the approach Ge'eza takes for the works in its gallery. Either way, the same habits apply: ask for a certificate of authenticity, check payment terms, and ask about shipping if you are heading back abroad. Our guide to buying a painting in Dakar walks through those steps for Ge'eza's gallery, which can serve as a point of comparison against other Off venues you visit.

If you would rather slow down

The density of the Biennale's programme, official and Off combined, can make you want a pause. Ge'eza's gallery, in Point E, is open at the restaurant's hours, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, closed Mondays, outside any biennale calendar: a place to go back over your notes with a coffee or an Ethiopian lunch before heading back out to the Off. Ge'eza is not announcing any participation in the Off for Dak'Art 2026: the gallery runs on its usual schedule through these weeks.

Keeping track of what you saw

A notebook, captioned photos, or just a few notes on your phone are enough to keep from losing the thread of a Biennale this dense. Many collectors' biggest regret is simply forgetting the name of an artist seen at an Off venue. Get into the habit of noting down, venue by venue, what you saw and what caught your eye: it makes it far easier to follow up with a gallery later, including asking for a price or arranging shipping once you are home.

Planning a visit to Ge'eza

If you would like to arrange a visit to the gallery ahead of time during your trip, write on WhatsApp to +221 78 660 07 07 or email geezacultures@gmail.com. The team can tell you what is currently on show and answer questions before you arrive.