Born in 1983.
He lives and works in Cotonou (Benin).
Ishola Akpo is a photographer and multimedia artist from Benin. He explores the possibilities of digital art by mixing different thematics and creates several levels of interpretation resulting in complex metaphors. The multi-layered images, blurring the lines between fiction and reality are characteristic of his work.
In the photographic series « Daïbi » on the Nago hunters of the region of Savè (Benin) he staged the imaginary god Daïbi who brings together the four natural elements: water, fire, air and earth. The exploration of cultural practices reveals his desire to reconnect with his origins. Ishola Akpo affirms the need for a thought of complexity in order to understand/groom the other and the world. He also highlights the importance of knowing and accepting one’s origins, one’s heritage, without letting them determine us in a univocal way.
For Ishola Akpo, photography represents a « means of experimenting oneself and the world ».