Joëlle le Bussy Fal

Joëlle le Bussy is a French sculptor, art dealer, arts organizer, and art curator based in Dakar, Senegal, where she founded Galerie Arte in 1996.

Biography

Of Belgian-Congolese origin, Joëlle le Bussy was born 1 February 1958, in Mont-de-Marsan, France. She founded Galerie Arte in 1996 in the Plateau district of Dakar. Since 2009, the gallery has had a branch in Saint-Louis du Senegal, a city classified as a World Heritage Site. She is also President of the Association for the Promotion of Visual Arts (PAVA) in Africa. In 2009, she was appointed President of Arts and Letters by Amadou Diaw, Secretary General of Saint-Louis, 350. She has since founded the contemporary art festival, Le Fleuve en Couleurs, and through this vehicle, the city of Saint-Louis has become the kick-off point for the Dakar Biennale. The Fleuve en Couleurs is an event organized annually.

Joëlle le Bussy's gallery offers furniture and precious wood objects from the African continent, which she designs and commissions in her Dakar workshops from experienced Casamance craftsmen. The gallery also exhibits many African artists (painters or sculptors) and promotes handicrafts, jewelry and fabrics from West Africa.

Career

Exhibition curator

2000–2005: member of the scientific council of the Dakar Biennale des Arts 2005–2007: The Viaduc des Arts, Paris, France . 2008–2009: exhibition at the Grand Chancellery of the Légion d’Honneur, Paris, France 2005: La Fabrique de la Gare, Bonnieux, France 2009: La Petite Tulière, Grignan, France

Arts Organization Work in Saint-Louis

2009–2010: President of Arts and Letters of Saint-Louis 350 (given during the celebration of the city's 350th anniversary) 2010–2012: founder of the visual arts event, Le Fleuve en Couleurs 2010–2012: organization of the Biennale des Arts Off in Dakar 2010: curator of the Carte blanche exhibition at the Galerie Arte, at the Institut français 2012: organizer of the Jam-Salam exhibition with residences of Moroccan and Senegalese artists

Expertise in Craftsmanship

2002–2007: member of the selection jury at the SIAO (International Handicrafts Fair of Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso) 2009–2011: president of the jury for the Unesco Award of Excellence, Bamako, Mali 2012: member of the selection jury at the SIAO

Designer

1998: founded design studio and cabinet-making workshop in Dakar, Senegal 2005: exhibition at Salon Cocoon, Brussels, Belgium 2006: workshop of international designers in the workshops of Joëlle le Bussy, Biennale des Arts de Dakar, Senegal 2008–2009: exhibition at the New York Gift Fair, New York City, United States 2009–2010: exhibition at ICFF, New York, United States 2011: exhibition at Maison et Objets fair, Paris, France 2008: design prize at the Dakar Biennale of Contemporary African Art

Design teacher Joëlle le Bussy has been teaching introductory design courses since 2012 at Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, Senegal.