I seek to connect with the spiritual roots of humanity through material transformation. My sculptures and paintings reflect the duality of the visible and invisible, translating ancestral voices into contemporary forms that speak to our shared origins.
Sébastien Boko is a contemporary artist from Benin whose practice extends across sculpture, painting, installation, performance, and slam poetry. Deeply rooted in the cultural and spiritual traditions of his homeland, Boko’s work examines femininity, ancestral identity, and the interplay between tradition and modernity. His recurring use of masks, symbolic counting systems, and metaphysical imagery evokes the coexistence of visible and invisible worlds.
After winning the National Wood Sculpture Competition of Benin, Boko established himself as one of the country’s leading artistic voices, representing Benin in international symposia and exhibitions throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. He has participated in the 1–54 Art Fair (New York), Bordeaux Art Fair (France), BISO Biennale (Burkina Faso), Ostraka International Symposium (Egypt), and multiple editions of World Wood Day in China, Turkey, Austria, and Tanzania.
His exhibitions in Benin include Poésie des Ancêtres (Atelier Boko, 2025), Élévation (Maison Rouge, 2023), and Reconnexions (Institut Français de Cotonou, 2023). Through his practice, Boko emphasizes the continuity between artistic creation and cultural preservation, positioning his work as both a spiritual offering and a contemporary dialogue with the past.
Awards & Distinctions:
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2023 — 3rd Prize, International Biennale of Sculpture (BISO), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
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2015 — Conseil de l’Entente “Bénin Art” Prize, Cotonou, Benin
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2013 — Grand Prize of Sculpture, Prom’Art Jeune International, Benin
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2013 — “Strongest Content” Award, World Wood Day, Tanzania
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2012 — Gold Prize, National Wood Sculpture Competition, Benin
Selected Exhibitions & Residencies:
2025 — 1–54 Art Fair, New York, USA
2024 — Art du Bénin, Martinique; Residency, Korver Rapley Studio, New Zealand
2023 — BISO Biennale, Burkina Faso; Bordeaux Art Fair, France; Mémoires Intemporelles, Accra, Ghana
2022 — Ostraka International Symposium, Cairo, Egypt
2021 — Fusion, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
2020 — Africa Now, OpenArtExchange, Netherlands
2019 — World Youth Forum, Egypt; INAMI Symposium, Japan; World Wood Day, Austria
2017 — International Sculpture Symposium, Brienz, Switzerland
2014–2016 — World Wood Day, China, Turkey