JULIEN SINZOGAN (B. 1957)
JULIEN SINZOGAN (B. 1957)
JULIEN SINZOGAN (B. 1957)
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This lot will be removed to our storage facility a… Read more
JULIEN SINZOGAN (B. 1957)

Egun III

Details
JULIEN SINZOGAN (B. 1957)
Egun III
signed 'Sinzogan' (lower right)
acrylic and moulded plaster on canvas
49 5/8 x 35 1/4in. (126 x 99.5cm.)
Executed in 2007
Provenance
October Gallery, London.
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2008.
Special notice
This lot will be removed to our storage facility at Momart. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Momart. All collections from Momart will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

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Lot Essay

Julien Sinzogan draws inspiration from the history of Benin, its legacy of Yoruba spirituality and its position as a major centre for the transatlantic slave trade. A master draughtsman, his work is characterised by his use of pen and ink often on natural materials such as papyrus, burlap or tree bark.
Central to Sinzogan’s work is his exploration of Yoruba divinatory systems and its practice known as Ifá. He examines the journey between the physical realm (aye) and the spiritual realm (orun), and the slave trade’s violation of this sacred process. The work demonstrates a faith in the possibility of retransplanting or reinvigorating an ‘African soul’.
In Egun I, II and III we see the emergence of fantastical figures and forms. The word Egun in Yoruba refers to the collective spirit of all the ancestors in a person’s lineage. Indeed, it is typical in Yoruba culture for an individual to be able to accurately detail the lives of their ancestors often spanning back ten or more generations, such is the strength of the oral historical tradition. An Egun also refers to a member of the Yoruba people who performs a masquerade as an ancestor.
Born in Benin, Julien Sinzogan lived and worked in Paris for many years before recently returning to his home country. He studied architecture in Uzbekistan and Paris before turning to painting professionally. In 2006, he was commissioned to produce the monumental work Gates of Return to cover the twin portals in the atrium of the Victoria & Albert Museum. His work is held in the collections of the Newark Museum of Art, Newark, New Jersey; the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University; the Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam; and Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town, among others. He has featured in many notable museum shows including Africa Africans at Museu Afro Brasil, Sao Paolo. Julien Sinzogan is represented by October Gallery, London.

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