Sign in with Google
Sign in with email
This solo show by Beninese artist Dominique Zinkpè at Southern Guild Cape Town marks his debut with the art gallery and features a series of large-scale, architectural sculptures and wall reliefs. Titled Ejire (Double Rhyme), the show runs from February 19 – May 22, 2025, and is replete with art installations composed of hundreds of hand-carved Ibeji figurines, which explore the duality between self and society, embodying the interconnectedness at the heart of Yoruba culture.
Zinkpè views his artistic practice as a form of priesthood, deeply rooted in the Vodun traditions of his native Benin. His work preserves and reinterprets Yoruba mythology, particularly the orisha Ibeji, the deity associated with fertility and abundance, often represented in the human form of twins. The show's press release explains how in cultures across Benin, Nigeria, Togo and Ghana, "twins are considered special beings whose birth portends great blessings. They are believed to share the same soul, which is why the Yoruba people also refer to twins as ejire, meaning 'double rhyme' or, to be more exact, 'two persons that rhyme with each other', 'two persons that are the same'. They are frequently eulogised in song and poetry, and given special family and community privileges. When one dies, a figurine is carved to house the deceased twin's spirit, to memorialise and venerate them through various rituals and ceremonies."
Zinkpè's fascination with Ibeji sculptures lies in their individuality—each figure uniquely carved to celebrate humans and their distinct DNA. Yet in his assemblages, the repetition of these forms 'pivot on the interrelation between the singular and the collective'. Working with master carvers from various regions of Benin, he incorporates distinct regional styles, visible in subtle shifts in scale, stance, facial details and head adornments. "Gathered together in row upon row, the tiny figures begin to meld into one another, their facets and interstices creating a mesmerising, cohesive rhythm. Their magnetism derives from their multiplicity, a visual metaphor for the power inherent in communal action," the press release states.
The sculptures in the art exhibition take on both architectural and organic qualities. Towering structures suggest thrones or totems, while others resemble spindly, abstract forms in motion. His wall-based reliefs, dense with clustered figures, resemble monumental facades. "Zinkpè brings sensitivity to the painted surface of each sculpture, applying subtle changes in colouration and gestural marks to add further delicacy and detail to the fragmented volumes," the gallery shares.
A multidisciplinary artist working across painting, installation and performance, Zinkpè describes himself as a 'cultural witness or medium': "I open my eyes wide, my ears, and I just listen," he has said. "My role as an artist is to reveal the invisible by bringing life to inert materials like wood and metal, using the four natural elements—air, water, fire, and earth. This reflects the fundamental principles of animist belief." Born in 1969 in Cotonou and raised in Abomey, a historic hub of Vodun worship, Zinkpè draws deep inspiration from the rituals, temples and public ceremonies of his youth.
Ejire (Double Rhyme) is Zinkpè's fifth solo exhibition to date. In addition to his practice, Zinkpè has spearheaded educational initiatives to share knowledge and promote the work of contemporary artists in Benin, including organising the first Benin Biennial in 2010, founding the Boulev’art street art event, and opening Unik, an experimental art space in Abomey. "He has been a strong advocate for the restitution of African material culture, focusing on the repatriation of the renowned Benin Bronzes looted by the British Military from Benin City," the gallery relays.
What do you think?