Château, 2025
Stevens Dossou-Yovo, a Franco-Beninese sculptor born in Paris in 1968 and a graduate of the Penninghen School, creates sculptures from steel sheets. By utilizing this ancient material, he aligns himself with an artistic tradition that dates back to the royal courts of Ifé in Benin, renowned for their mastery of metallurgy and the creation of metal and bronze objects of great complexity and quality. Drawing inspiration from this rich cultural history, Stevens Dossou-Yovo explores space-time and matter in his works, combining metaphysical vision with tangible reality. His creative process begins with drawings or plans, which he then transposes into folded and welded steel, creating volumes that bridge the second and third dimensions. He plays with the nuances of steel, whether oxidized, brushed, or painted, reminiscent of the works of Donald Judd.
Descriptive geometry and the relativity of the point of view are central to his work, evoking kinetic art and geometric abstraction. Influenced by artists like Victor Vasarely and Jesús Rafael Soto, Stevens Dossou-Yovo integrates elements of the metallurgical tradition of the kingdoms of Ifé and Fon with modern and contemporary art. His sculptures, blending cultural heritage with innovation, bear witness to the continuity and evolution of steel as an artistic medium throughout the centuries.
Descriptive geometry and the relativity of the point of view are central to his work, evoking kinetic art and geometric abstraction. Influenced by artists like Victor Vasarely and Jesús Rafael Soto, Stevens Dossou-Yovo integrates elements of the metallurgical tradition of the kingdoms of Ifé and Fon with modern and contemporary art. His sculptures, blending cultural heritage with innovation, bear witness to the continuity and evolution of steel as an artistic medium throughout the centuries.