First rising to prominence in 1992 after his inclusion in Saatchi Gallery’s Out of Africa show, Benin-born mixed media artist Romuald Hazoumè has become celebrated for his found-object installations and “mask” works. Slavery, racism and colonization are frequent themes in his practice, which incorporate found materials such as plastic gas containers, rubber tubing, and other discarded items such as toilet brushes, high heeled shoes, and rusty spoons. Hazoumè’s most iconic pieces are his mask works, which recreate African faces with these discarded materials.

Photography is also a major element in Hazoumè’s practice, capturing the black market fuel-transportation system known as Kpayo, in which Beninese men are forced to ferry contraband petrol from Nigeria precariously balanced on motorbikes. His installation works often feature stacks of these plastic petrol containers. Displayed at the The British Museum in London for the bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade, Hazoumè’s La Bouche du Roi (2007) consists of 304 petrol can masks arranged in the shape of a slave ship.

Hazoumè’s work has been widely shown in many of the major galleries and museums including the British Museum, London, the Guggenheim, Bilbao, the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, ICP, New York, and the Victoria &Albert Museum, London. His 2009 show, “Made in Porto-Novo” received international acclaim, solidifying Hazoumè’s position as one of the most important African contemporary artists working today. Hazoumè recived the 2007 Arnold Bodé Prize at documenta 12 in Kassel, Germany.