Dominique Zinkpè is one of the preeminent contemporary African artists working today.

Encompassing mediums as diverse as drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, video and installation, Zinkpè's creative corpus is informed by the rich historical and cultural traditions of his native Benin, which the artist transfigures into breathtaking compositions addressing issues on race, religion, sexuality, spirituality, mythology, and the antagonizing forces at play in his own life.

Elaborate, intimate and highly symbolic, the paintings by Dominique Zinkpè possess a riveting surrealist quality. His abstracted multiverse often features sinuous and hybrid anthropomorphic entities, powerful chimeras and mythical beasts engaged in romps of power, disguise and allure that hint at the irony and satire of the human comedy. 

Zinkpè's archetypal visual narrative draws inspiration from the unresolved tensions pervading Benin's colonial past and its journey to sovereignty. In his creative practice, the seminal artist brings forth the conundrums still shaping the interrelationship between catholicism and animism. Confronting the viewer with notions of desire, birth, expectancy or abortion, the fertile colleen frequently appearing throughout Zinkpè's body of work, seem entrenched in maniacal dances evoking the sacred rites which are central to Benin's spiritual ordinance. 

In his sculptural work, the seminal artist pays an earth shattering homage to the cult of IBÉJÌ, centered around the divine veneration of twins, who are considered to be sacred blessings in Yorúbà tradition. Composed of myriads of small Ìbejì statuettes, carefully hand carved from timber, or casted in bronze, Zinkpè's otherworldly totemic sculptures are adorned with shimmering pigmentations that emulate nature’s inherent ethereality. 

 All together a pioneer, an iconoclast and a visionary, Dominique Zinkpè creates modern masterpieces that are anchored at the core of the 21st century cultural zeitgeist. His oeuvre is the stellar epitome of a contemporary African creation that alleviates borders and sublimates our inherent humanity. 

Zinkpè's outstanding career has been heralded by continued international critical acclaimed. In 2002, the artist won the UEMOA Prize at the Dakar Biennale for his installation Malgré Tout! Works by Dominique Zinkpè have been exhibited by preeminent institutions the likes of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Kunsthalle Wien in Vienna, and Museum Fur Moderne Kunst (MMK) in Frankfurt.

His work can be found in prestigious public and private collections, including Foundation Zinsou (Benin), Foundation Blachère (France), Zeitz MOCAA (South Africa) and Sindika Dokolo Collection (Angola).

International Fairs participations include 1-54 in London, Marrakech and New York; Art X Lagos; AKAA in Paris; Prizm Art, as well as Untitled Art in Miami and Expo Chicago in collaboration with Southern Guild. In 2023 Zinkpè has a Special Mention as one of the finalists of the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize.

Today the seminal artist continues to commands an impressive following amongst elite international collectors, the world over.