Calixte Dakpogan (born 1958) is a

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

ese

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

known for his installations as well as his masks made out of diverse and original found materials. A native of

Pahou Pahou is a town and arrondissement in the Atlantique Department of southern Benin. It is an administrative division under the jurisdiction of the commune of Ouidah. According to the population census conducted by the Institut National de la Statist ...

, he currently lives and works in

Porto Novo Porto-Novo (Portuguese: "New Port", , ; yo, Àjàṣẹ́, ), also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe, is the capital of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. Situated on an inlet of the Gulf of Gu ...

. Much of his work is inspired by his Voudon heritage. Dakpogan's work was exhibited at the "Ouidah '92" festival, which celebrated Vodun art from Benin and the African Diaspora in

Ouidah Ouidah () or Whydah (; ''Ouidah'', ''Juida'', and ''Juda'' by the French; ''Ajudá'' by the Portuguese; and ''Fida'' by the Dutch) and known locally as Glexwe, formerly the chief port of the Kingdom of Whydah, is a city on the coast of the Repub ...

, Benin in February 1993. Many of his masks are part of

The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) is a private collection created in 1989 by Jean Pigozzi, an Italian businessman. As of May 2022, the collection was based in Geneva, Switzerland, but it "does not have a permanent exhibition venue". ...

Jean Pigozzi Jean "Johnny" Pigozzi (born 1952), heir to the CEO of the automobile brand Simca, is an art collector, photographer, fashion designer and . He lives in Geneva. Biography Pigozzi is a "French-born Italian". He was born in Paris in 1952 and is ...

and are exhibited in major group shows in museums around the world.

Group exhibitions

*2000: ''Rendering Visible : Contemporary Art from the Republic of Benin'', October Gallery, London, UK *2000: ''Partage d’Exotismes'', 5th Biennale de Lyon, France *2000: ''Fait Maison'', Musée international des arts modestes,

Sète Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises' ...

, France *2005: ''African Art Now : Masterpieces from the

Collection'',

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Build ...

, USA *2005: ''Arts of Africa'',

Grimaldi Forum The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco is a conference and congress centre located on the seafront of Monaco's eastern beach quartier, Larvotto. Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra regularly perform there. This is also the ...

, Monaco, France *2006/2007: ''100% Africa'',

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. The museum was inaugurated on 18 October 1997 by King Juan Carlos I of Spai ...

, Spain *2007: ''Masques rituels et contemporains'', Fondation Jean Paul Blachère,

Apt Apt. is an abbreviation for apartment. Apt may also refer to: Places * Apt Cathedral, a former cathedral, and national monument of France, in the town of Apt in Provence * Apt, Vaucluse, a commune of the Vaucluse département of France * A ...

, France *2007/2008: ''Why Africa?'',

Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli The Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli is an art gallery in Turin, Italy. It opened in 2002 on the top floor of the Lingotto complex (the headquarters of the Italian auto giant Fiat founded in 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli), where a "scrigno" or 450 ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, Italy *2010: ''African Stories'', Marrakech Art Fair, Marrakech

Bibliography

*1994: Otro pais: escalas africanas, Exhibition catalogue. *1992: Dakar Biennale (1). Dak’Art 92, Exhibition catalogue *1995: Africus : Johannesburg Biennale, 1995 Exhibition catalogue. *1996: Contemporary Art of Africa, André Magnin and Jacques Soulillou *1997: Lumière Noire : Art Contemporain, Exhibition catalogue. *1998: Bénin-Bénin, Gisteren-Tussen-Morgen. Exhibition catalogue. Fritz Bless et al. *2000: Forjar el Espacio : La Escultura Forjada en el siglo XX, Exhibition catalogue. *2000: Lyon Biennale d’Art Contemporain, (5) Partage d’Exotismes, Exhibition catalogue. *2001: Rendering Visible : Contemporary Art from the Republic of Benin, Exhibition catalogue. Published by The October Gallery. *2005: African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection, Exhibition catalogue. Published by Merrell. *2006: 100% Africa, Exhibition catalogue. Published by TF Editores & FMGB Guggenheim Bilbao Museum. *2007: Why Africa?, Exhibition catalogue. Published by Electa & Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli.

References

Biography from the National Museum of African Art
1958 births Living people 20th-century Beninese sculptors Male sculptors Voodoo artists 21st-century sculptors 20th-century male artists 21st-century male artists People from Atlantique Department People from Porto-Novo Installation artists {{africa-sculptor-stub