ken
Ken Aïcha Sy
Born in Dakar in 1988, Ken Aïcha Sy is a curator, cultural entrepreneur, and activist whose work is reshaping the contemporary art landscape in West Africa. Raised between a French-Martiniquais journalist mother and the pioneering artist El Hadji Sy (ELSY), she grew up with a deep conviction that art must serve as a catalyst for social transformation.
After studying design, art history, and spatial planning in Paris, she returned to Senegal in 2011 and founded Wakh’Art, a platform that quickly evolved into a dynamic movement dedicated to supporting, structuring, and amplifying the country’s artistic scene. She later established La Boîte à Idées, a multidisciplinary creative hub, and Wakh’Art Music, a label for emerging musicians.
A committed cultural actor, she works to strengthen the ecosystem of Senegalese arts through programming, training, mediation, and artist support. She is currently the Director and Curator of the Galerie Le Manège – Institut français du Sénégal, where she develops research-driven exhibitions and fosters exchanges between local and international artists.
At the intersection of activism, memory, and creation, Ken Aïcha Sy champions a vision of culture as a space for emancipation, dialogue, and collective imagination—embodying a new generation of African cultural leaders.
After studying design, art history, and spatial planning in Paris, she returned to Senegal in 2011 and founded Wakh’Art, a platform that quickly evolved into a dynamic movement dedicated to supporting, structuring, and amplifying the country’s artistic scene. She later established La Boîte à Idées, a multidisciplinary creative hub, and Wakh’Art Music, a label for emerging musicians.
A committed cultural actor, she works to strengthen the ecosystem of Senegalese arts through programming, training, mediation, and artist support. She is currently the Director and Curator of the Galerie Le Manège – Institut français du Sénégal, where she develops research-driven exhibitions and fosters exchanges between local and international artists.
At the intersection of activism, memory, and creation, Ken Aïcha Sy champions a vision of culture as a space for emancipation, dialogue, and collective imagination—embodying a new generation of African cultural leaders.