Dominique Zinkpè

Born in 1969 in Cotonou, Zinkpè is a self-taught and versatile artist who creates drawings, paintings, sculptures and installations.

His work was very quickly appreciated and recognized: in 1993 he received in Abidjan, within the framework of Grapholies, the Young African Talent prize. Ten years later, during the Dakar Biennale, he won the prestigious “UEMOA” Prize for his installation “Despite Everything! ". His work crosses borders. He has indeed presented personal exhibitions in Germany, Holland, New York and France.

Committed artist, he conceived and produced in 1999 the project “Boulev'art, artists in the street” which seeks to make known to the general public the works of contemporary artists. Since its creation, six editions of this event have been held between France and Benin.

Generous with his knowledge, more than 10 years ago he founded the association "Ayïzo - Work of the spirit" which recently opened "Unik-lieu of contemporary creation", a space aimed at professionalization and promotion of contemporary artists. It is also influenced by this concern for transmission that he chairs the Consortium responsible for organizing the Benin Biennale 2012.

Zinkpè works with very diverse materials such as burlap, end-of-life cars or even hôhô figurines, traditionally used for the cult of twins in southern Benin. His protean work deals with subjects such as intimacy, sex, the sacred and the profane and makes the link between ancestral cultures and the contradictions of the current world.