1. Julien Sinzogan
Presented by Jill Hayes
Art Pictured: Terre en vue! (Land Ho!), Triptych

2. Julien Sinzogan
Julien was born in 1957 in Porto-Novo in the Republic of Benin.
He studied architecture at the Art School of Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 1978-1979 and then he moved to France and studied architecture in Paris until 1982.
He was the head of the Images Section at the Laboratoire International de Calcul et dInformatique Applique (L.I.C.I.A.) in Paris from 1983 to 1987.
3. Julien Sinzogan
Julien currently lives and works in Paris, France.
His first exhibition was in 1991 at the Gallery Gabor Uzvesky, Bussy Saint-Georges, France
4. Julien Sinzogan
Julien is best known for the 2007 exhibition:
Uncomfortable Truths: The Shadow of Slave Trading on Contemporary Art and Design at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.His work was featured with 10 other artists that addressed the issues of slavery and imperialism.
Art Pictured: Gates of Return,Acrylic on Canvas,15 x32 (Mural) , 2007.
5. Julien Sinzogan
More art from the 2007 Exhibition:
Uncomfortable Truths: The Shadow of Slave Trading on Contemporary Art and Design at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Art Pictured: Gates of Return II, Colored Inks on Paper,150 cmx206 cm, 2007.
6. Julien Sinzogan
Juliens art often feature ships and his vessel images represent the mythical return journeys that carried away the people of Benin and other areas of West Africa to be slaves in the New World.
The ships in his work are not intended to symbolize the carriers of the Middle Passage, rather otherworldly vessels, adorned with Egungun masquerade costumes, and inhabited not by humans but with spirits, spiritualists, and ancestral ghosts.
Art Pictured:La Solitaire, 2009, Acrylic on board,72 x 172 cm.
7. Julien Sinzogan
Julien works in various mediums from painting in oil and acrylic paint, pen and ink rendering, and he utilizes his drafting skills learned in his architectural training.
Many of his pieces are large scale murals.His architectural training can be seen in his complex interior and exterior vessel images.
Art pictured: Figurehead,Acrylic and ink on paper, 65 cm x 100 cm , 2005.
8. Julien Sinzogan
Juliens latest work is focused on the Spiritual Realm and much of his 2010 work appears to be for an exhibition titled, Spirit Worlds.
Art pictured:Etat desprits II: ceux den haut (Spirit Worlds II:Those on High),Coloured ink andacrylic on paper,100 cm x 150 cm, 2010.
9. No author, Julien Sinzogan Biography, The October Gallery website (artist page), accessed on February 12, 2011, available at http://www.octobergallery.co.uk/artists/sinzogan/index.shtml
No author, Voyages Exhibition, The October Gallery website (2007 exhibitions page), accessed on February12, 2011, available at http://www.octobergallery.co.uk/exhibitions/2007voy/index.shtml
Jacobs, Caroline, Uncomfortable Truths:The Shadow of Slave Trading on Contemporary Art and Design,African Arts (Summer, 2008), 92-93.
*All images accessed from The October Gallery website.
Art pictured:Etat desprits II: ceux den haut (Spirit Worlds II:Those on High),Colouredink andacrylic on paper,100 cm x 150 cm, 2010.
Bibliography
10. Chidi Okoye
Chidi is a contemporary Africansculptor, painter, and poet from Nimo in the Anambra State of Nigeria.
He currently works as an independent artist and resides in British Columbia, Canada.
11. Chidi Okoye
Chidi studied sculpture and studio art at the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu, Nigeria and graduated in 1988.
He taught sculpture and drawing at the Federal Polytechnic Oko in Anambra State Nigeria for the next 6 years.
Over this period, he also created an exceptional collection of sculptures, paintings, and poetry.
Art Pictured:Tribute to the Newborn, Giclee on Canvas, 30 x 40.
12. Chidi Okoye
The Igbo people and traditions are a major influence in Chidis art.
The Igbo are one of the largest ancient ethnic groups in Nigeria.It has been debated that their culture may be connected with the modern rituals of the kingship of Nri(Jones, G.I. , pg. 12)
13. Chidi Okoye
Chidi has a created a large collection of sculptures and masks.He is drawing upon the Igbo masking that are linked strongly with Igbo traditional ritual and music.
Best known are the Igbo Maiden Spirit masks of the Northern Igbo which represent the spirits of deceased maidens and their mothers with masks symbolizing beauty.
Art Pictured:Mma Mask, resin on hard board, 20 x 28 x 3
14. Focus of Research
CHIDIS ART IN RELATION TO:

Igbo People, Traditions, Dance, and Symbols

15. Masking 16. Uli Symbols and the relationship to African Art (Cubism):Traditional Africanwriting is called, Uli and is a form of hieroglyphic type of writing with line drawings of parts of animals, insects, plants and the human body.Organic forms and shapes as well as triangles, squares, and circles are reflections of the everyday world.These symbols and shapes have deep rooted ritual meaning and connections to the ecological surroundings of the Igbo people and are often expressed in their art.
17. Bibliography
Okoye, Chidi, Artist Profile,Modern Art Images website (Artist Website) accessed on February 13, 2011, available at http://www.modernartimages.com/artistprofilepage.htm
Okoye, Chidi, Artist Biography, Fine Art America website, accessed on February 13, 2011, available athttp://fineartamerica.com/profiles/chidi-okoye.html
Jones, G.I. , The Art of Eastern Nigeria (London:Cambridge University Press, 1984), 12.
Brief online Q & A with Chidi regarding his background.
Art Pictured:Lovers Melody, Watercolor on paper, 10 x 18