Tara Panesar and Erika Dovey review the fascinating pottery of the Kenyan-born Magadelene Odundo displayed at the Fitzwilliam Museum

Authors: Tara Panesar and Erika Dovey

Dame Magdalene Odundo-a Kenyan-born British potter's studio-brought the ceramic part of Fitzwilliam to life in a must-see exhibition: Magdalene Odundo in Cambridge. This exhibition marks Otto's multiple return to Cambridge. After arriving in 1971, she spent her growing years at the Cambridge School of Art where she discovered her love for ceramics. Odundo then went on to study at the Pottery Training Center in Abuja, Kenya, where she learned traditional handcrafted pottery techniques.

"Odundo is from the inside out, which means that most of the works are out of our field of vision"

The exhibition not only displays her three unique polished jars, but also her favorite works from the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. When entering the exhibition, you will see a typical Odundo-style black pot, polished from the original terracotta color that Odundo's many other pots often retain. Odundo refuses to explain the work; she wants her art to complete the work. Throughout the exhibition, the description is reduced to a minimum. Instead, Odundo encourages viewers to question and evaluate her work by themselves, hoping that they "feel sympathy." 

A post shared by Alistair Burtenshaw (@alistair_burtenshaw)

Odundo is from the inside out, which means that most of the fragments are out of our sight. Let us imagine the shape and space enclosed by the object. In this way, these fragments are parallel to the human appearance; much is known about the contents inside. Walking through the exhibition, you will feel Odundo's love for ceramics, from the Thomas Toft and Ralph Simpson tableware in the 1600s to the Lucie Rie stoneware presented to Odundo's teacher Zoe Ellison in the 1950s. The exhibition reveals the power of clay, because it cannot be said to have originated from a place, culture or artistic tradition-but eternal. 

The exhibition fulfilled Ododo's desire to show "the versatility of clay, as a form of expression, but also a material." Witness the juxtaposition between the simplicity of Odundo's "red ribbed container" and the decorative feel of Ladi Kwali's "lizard jug": this exhibition frees us from limited judgment and classification (as shown in the picture below). 

However, through the method of display, it may be difficult for the audience to regard Odundo's work as an isolated and independent work. Exhibition curator Helen Ritchie framed his work in a sea of ​​various ceramics, from Nigerian stoneware in the 20th century to British glazed pottery in the early modern period to Kenyan cookware. This gives the audience a sense of the works that may influence Odundo's artistic choices, and encourages them to associate her works with contemporary and historical practices instead of considering them as separate entities. 

The museum has taken steps to ensure that Odundo's work stands out from the surrounding pottery; the podium on which her work is placed is orange, and the rest are black. Indeed, an aesthetic composition like this magnifies Odundo's point of view-"Works, containers, must be the first"-to encourage the audience to "observe and pay attention" to her work, which is related to and resonates with shape, texture and color. .  

I would encourage those who visit "Magdalene Odundo in Cambridge" to follow her advice and spend time reviewing, reviewing and thinking about her work. Personally, the more I pay attention to her isolated works, the more character forms appear. In all four works, as shown in the picture above, the expanded and contracted forms, smooth surfaces and ridged surfaces are reminiscent of the curvature, skin and bones of the human body. The round belly, neck and spine can all be found in the shapes of these works, blurring the boundaries between ceramics and sculptures. The prominence of the human body in Odundo's work inspired the characteristic sketches that juxtaposed ceramic and figure forms, emphasizing the continuity of the two. 

"The museum has taken steps to ensure that Odundo's work stands out from the surrounding pottery"

In addition to demonstrating Odundo's talents, curator Helen Ritchie also hopes that by linking her work to the time she spent in Cambridge, students will be inspired to set their sights on the Cambridge University Museum for their own creative projects. Through observation, the interpretation of Magdalene Odundo's art works is endless.

Brâncuși in the yard of the kettle

Visit the exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum and learn what you see in her work, which will last until July 24, 2022. 

Varsity is an independent newspaper of the University of Cambridge, established in 1947 in its current form. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our print newspapers and news websites do not accept funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent colleges.

Therefore, we rely almost entirely on advertising to raise funds, and we expect it to be difficult in the coming months and years.

Despite this situation, we will still find creative ways to provide our readers with digital content, and of course print!

Therefore, we ask our readers (if they wish) to donate as little as £1 to help cover our operating costs. Thank you very much and hope to help you!

Varsity was first published in 1947 as an independent student newspaper of Cambridge University.

All content © 1996-2021 Varsity Publications Ltd.