Within a mere decade, Wabi Dossou (31), has managed to establish him as one of the rising stars leading the 'Nouvelle Vague' of contemporary art in Benin, West Africa.

Heir to an illustrious family of sculptors, Wabi grew up in the company of a virtuoso. His late father, Amidou Dossou, received the art world's critical acclaim in 1989, at the legendary exhibition 'Magicians of The Earth' which took place at Le Centre Pompidou, in Paris. 

The creed  of The Dossou Family is rooted in the cultural ideologies of Fon & Yorùbá, linked through history and tradition to the Kingdom of Dahomey. Dating back to the mid-18th century, in the sovereign state of Kétou, the Gèlèdé sacred rites are lavish multimedia operas, performed to this day, in the popular genre of the ‘Masquerade’, honouring "Ìyá Nlá", the primordial Orisha spirit and Mother of all creations in Yorùbá cosmology. The oral tradition of Gèlèdé, one of West Africa’s crown jewels, is inscribed by UNESCO on the List of Humanity’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Inheritor of both his father's talent and mastery, Wabi still lives and works in Covè, the cradle of Gèlèdé, located in the southeastern part of Benin, halfway between Abomey and Kétou. His legacy is thus part of a secular tradition that appeals to fundamental Yorùbá aesthetic canons, which the artist transfigures with breathtaking innovation. 

Now leading his own practice, Wabi Dossou brings new meaning to the historical tradition of Gèlèdé. Bold, beautiful yet caustic in their wit and humour, his 'Diverted Objects' speak to a form of higher art. Through an ingenious neo expressionist subterfuge, these incomparable hybrid sculptures cross-pollinate the paragons of high fashion, music, pop culture and street art. Each interrogates us on notions of memory preservation, capitalism sustainability and mass-consumerism.

Emancipated from their ritual function, Wabi's ethereal masterpieces are immersed in contemporaneity. Favouring aesthetic to function, each hybrid gem remains nonetheless the carrier of an important message about the rich historical traditions of Benin and a creative legacy that is peering into the future.

Gèlèdésque !