Aureil Patrick Bessan (patricorel) - (1990) - Untitled

Born in 1990 in Cotonou, Aureil Patrick Bessan, known as Patricorel, is a young Beninese visual artist working in sculpture, painting, drawing, and installation. After earning a Master's degree in Art History from the University of Abomey Calavi, he turned to the art of recycling and repurposing objects. He finds pleasure in reusing materials such as glass bottles, wood, and dry leaves, which he collects from the streets, garbage heaps, and bins.

In his sculptures, he successfully merges tradition and modernity, combining his great inventiveness, unique sense of humor, and keen observation to create a distinctive artistic style. His work with glass bottles quickly captured the attention of the public and the art world, allowing him to participate in several solo and group exhibitions, as well as artistic residencies in Africa and Europe.

Always in search of new forms of expression, he is currently exploring an original technique of transforming recycled plastic bags into plastic canvases. On these surfaces, he draws, writes, describes, and scribbles to create characters with expressive faces. In these works, the skin is absent, and only the bones are visible, inviting the viewer to delve into a kind of inner labyrinth. The removal of skin color, for him, serves as a way to denounce racism, promote equality, and reflect on the finitude of humanity. His art, deeply engaged and conscious, thus becomes a powerful symbol of a liberated, fraternal, open, and creative Africa.