Léonce Raphaël Agbodjelou is one of the pre-eminent photographers emerging from the Republic of Benin.

Born in Porto-Novo in 1965, his creative journey was greatly influenced by his late father, the world-renowned photographer Joseph Moise Agbodjelou (1912-2000). Today, a critically acclaimed artist in his own right, Léonce still favors the use of medium format films and natural daylight, to create otherworldly images that capture Benin’s ever evolving cultural zeitgeist. In essence, Agbodjelou's œuvre, interprets the experiences of a nation caught between tradition and progress.

Léonce grew up deeply immersed in the spiritual liturgy of his native land. He holds countless childhood memories of holidays spent observing many Gèlèdé master-artisans, who were members of his mother’s extended family. Surrounded by cohorts of ethereal works of art, Agbodjelou grew up with tenets of worship for playmates, which began to cross-pollinate his visual narrative and form to this day, an intrinsic part of his holistic practice.

Agbodjelou initially garnered critical acclaim with the now famed photographic series "Egungun", "The Muscle Men" and "Les Demoiselles de Porto-Novo".  In his latest body of work, the modern master pays a vibrant homage to the cult of Zangbeto, one of Benin's pivotal animist entities.

In Ogu culture, the Zangbetos, who form a secret society, strictly attended by spiritual worshipers, are deemed to hold spiritistic and magical abilities, allowing them to dodge any weapon without coming to harm and scare away evil spirits.

The Cult of Zangbeto is said to evoke the cosmic energy and primordial powers that inhabited the earth long before the appearance of mankind. This sacred rite continues to provide a source of wisdom, a sense of protection and continuity not only for Ogu people but indeed for humanity at large.  

Works by Léonce Raphaël Agbodjelou has been heralded by esteemed museums collections worldwide, including Musée Quai Branly, Paris, France, Museum of Modern Art and  Brooklyn Museum, New York. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow, Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.

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