Benin

The composition's intense oranges and yellows are crossed by crimson, turquoise and green, creating a vivid internal rhythm. Dense impasto strengthens its sculptural presence, while interlocking compartments, narrow extensions and detached circular forms suggest movement and plurality. The irregular geometry can be read as an abstract reflection of Benin’s layered histories and cultural connections, held together within a dynamic whole.

Benin stretches from the Gulf of Guinea into the savannahs of West Africa. Its history includes the powerful Kingdom of Dahomey, centred on Abomey, whose political and artistic traditions shaped the region for centuries. After French colonial rule, Dahomey gained independence in 1960 and became Benin in 1975. Benin’s identity is enriched by Fon, Yoruba, Bariba, Dendi and many other communities. Vodun traditions remain an important cultural inheritance, while music, dance, oral history, textiles, sculpture and metalwork sustain distinctive forms of expression. The royal palaces and artistic traditions of Abomey preserve an especially significant legacy of historical memory and craftsmanship.