ZINKPÈ

ZINKPÈ was born in 1969 in Cotonou, Benin. He began his career participating in numerous workshops and residencies in Africa and Europe. Very quickly, he gained recognition with the Young African Talent Prize received during Grapholie in Abidjan. Present at major events of the international art scene, the Dakar Biennale awarded him the Uemoa Prize in 2002. Zinkpè’s approach is complex and diverse. Far from confining himself to a single medium, he appropriates all kinds of media, as long as they allow him to express himself: installation, drawing, painting, sculpture, and video. When you look at his work, it seems obvious that he does not wish to lock himself into a creative process. On the contrary, he never stops questioning himself. His art often challenges, sometimes points a finger, other times denounces.

Zinkpè’s painting explores tortuous paths where the characters, halfway between human and animal, evoke games of power, masquerade or sex, undoubtedly alluding to our human comedy. His singular stroke is recognizable on the canvas – intimate, powerful, provocative.

As for his sculptures, they are either made of rolled up burlap or born from small amalgamated wooden figurines. These variations on the theme of twins from the beliefs of southern Benin add to his surprising explorations.