Wender·Vista
Dakar
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSenegal
on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of mainland Africa

Dakar

— — a city that walks out into the Atlantic.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Dakar sits on a thumb of basalt rock pushed out into the Atlantic, the westernmost point of the African mainland. The wind comes off the ocean on three sides and the light, late in the day, turns the city ochre and pink. Île de Gorée lies a short ferry ride off the coast, with the House of Slaves and a small old town of pastel walls. The corniche road runs the length of the peninsula and the surf never quite stops. from the studio

from the studio
Dakar
— bring it home

Dakar, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Dakar

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Dakar is the capital of Senegal and sits on the Cap-Vert peninsula on the Atlantic coast, the westernmost point of continental Africa. The city covers roughly 83 square kilometres and the metropolitan area population is estimated at around 4 million. It is built on a finger of basalt formed by ancient volcanic activity, with cliffs along the corniche and beaches on the calmer south side. France made Dakar the capital of French West Africa in 1902, and it has been the capital of independent Senegal since 1960.

— informed by Wikipedia — Dakar
— the stone

Île de Gorée lies about three kilometres off the coast in Dakar harbour. The island, less than a kilometre long, was a Portuguese, Dutch, English, and finally French trading post from the fifteenth century into the nineteenth, and is associated with the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Maison des Esclaves, built around 1776 by the Dutch, holds the often-photographed Door of No Return. UNESCO inscribed Gorée on the World Heritage list in 1978 and ferries run from the Embarcadère in central Dakar every hour or two.

— the year

Dakar has a hot semi-arid climate moderated by the Atlantic. The dry season runs roughly November to May, with daytime highs near 26°C and steady trade winds from the north. The wet season runs July to October and brings most of the year's 450 millimetres of rainfall, often in short heavy storms. The city is the historic start of the Dakar Rally, which ran from Paris to Dakar from 1979 through 2007 before relocating to South America and later to Saudi Arabia.

— where
Senegal · Dakar, Dakar Region
— elevation
22 m · 72 ft
— position
14.7167° N · 17.4677° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
3 km SE
Île de Gorée
UNESCO heritage island
10 km W
Pointe des Almadies
westernmost cape
9 km W
African Renaissance Monument
hilltop bronze monument
N
Dakar
Île de Gorée
Pointe des Almadies
African Renaissance Monument
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Dakar — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Dakar is the capital of Senegal, on the Cap-Vert peninsula on the Atlantic coast. It is the westernmost city of mainland Africa, with a metropolitan population of about 4 million and the country's main port.

Île de Gorée is a small island about three kilometres off the coast of Dakar. From the fifteenth into the nineteenth century it was a European trading post connected to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage site in 1978.

The Maison des Esclaves is a building on Gorée built around 1776 by the Dutch, now a memorial museum. It holds the Door of No Return facing the Atlantic and is one of the most visited sites of African memory.

The African Renaissance Monument is a 49-metre bronze statue on a hill above the western coast of the city, unveiled in 2010. It is the tallest statue in Africa and depicts a family stepping forward toward the Atlantic.

French is the official language and is used in government, schools, and most signage. Wolof is the most widely spoken everyday language, used by a majority of residents across ethnic backgrounds.

Dakar has a hot semi-arid climate moderated by the ocean. The dry season runs November to May with steady trade winds, and the wet season runs July to October with most of the year's 450 millimetres of rain falling in short storms.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for the Senegalese diaspora, returning teranga families, and people who served or studied in the city. A Small or Medium with a note from the studio carries well.

The Atlantic blues, basalt grey, and ochre walls read well with West African contemporary, warm minimalist, and coastal-modern rooms. It pairs cleanly with mudcloth, brass, and pale wood.

Yes. The African contemporary direction leans on warm neutrals, indigo, and one anchoring image with strong cultural roots. The tile gives the room a specific city to stand in.

Above a standard sofa the single Large reads well at eye-line. Above a long console or in an open entry, a 4-tile Mural carries the room. The 9-tile Mural is built for a feature wall.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin finish for showers and backsplashes, or the Matte finish for a softer kitchen wall. Both are scratch-resistant and hold up to humidity and salt air.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough for ordinary dust and fingerprints. For a kitchen install, a mild dish soap on the cloth is fine. No abrasives.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in the studio's stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language and slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure. No licensing, no third-party stock.

— if this one stayed with you

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