The descendant of the royal blacksmiths of Porto Novo, Benin, Calixte Dakpogan was born in the Gukomy quarter in 1958. The spiritual centre of Vodun, the region is traditionally associated with Gu, the god of iron and war. Dakpogan began his artistic career by making works that demonstrated his devotion to the deity. Inspired by the works' popularity, he began to make secular sculptures.

Dakpogan's compositions are forged from the scrap metal that he finds on the streets of Porto Novo, scavenged car parts in particular. Calixte and his brother Theodore began to construct standing figures out of these parts, in the style of early 19th century metal Fon sculptures.

In 1992, t...