Hamidou Ouedraogo

sculptor

Hamidou Ouedraogo

Hamidou Ouedraogo (*1981) is an artisan in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. He began training in bronze art in 2000. Since then, he has been passing on his unique know-how to his apprentices in his workshop in Ouagadougou. He uses a specific method to create long bronze silhouettes: the lost wax casting process.

Bronze working is a traditional craft in Burkina Faso. The term bronze refers to different alloys based on copper, zinc, lead and tin, which are present in different proportions. Today, bronze is obtained from the recycling of old fittings, such as faucets or parts of air conditioning units. Bronze working or the "Lost Wax Technique" is a unique technique that is thousands of years old, here is its process: the artist first creates a figure in beeswax which is filled with a clay mixture and dried. The mold is then fired and the molten wax comes out through the holes previously drilled. previously through the hole. The molten alloy, which comes from the recycling of old fittings, is poured into the empty mold. Once it has cooled, the mold is broken to extract the sculpture and make the final finishing touches. Each piece is therefore unique.

The so-called "Bobarabas", these elegant and funny bronze sculptures that remind us of the works of Botero, were created by the Burkinabe artist Hamidou Ouedraogo.