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foto of finely carved wooden totem pole with artisan Edouard Kinigbè standing niext to it.
Edouard Kinigbè, photo by Stephan Köhler

Kinigbé carved sculptures for Adéagbo from 1995 to about 2006.

When curators and institutions began to invite Adéagbo to exhibitions after his debut in 1994, he looked for ways to include images that relate to the theme and the location. On a walk through his neighborhood in Cotonou, sculptures standing in a narrow alley near a compound's entrance attracted his attention. As he stepped into the courtyard, he saw Edouard Kinigbè at work and began to comission panels and sculptures from him.

Adéagbo's documenta 11 contribution with four totempoles carved by Edouard Kinigbè
Artisan Kinigbè receives instructions for totempole from Georges Adéagbo. Photocopies pasted on a cardboard cylinder
Georges Adéagbo pasted photocopies and texts on a card-board cylinder as instructions for the totempoles. Photo: Stephan Köhler
sculptor Edouard Kinigbé works on totempole lying on the floor
Edouard Kinigbè works on one of the four totempoles for Adéagbo's documenta 11 contribution. Photo: Stephan Köhler