Magdalene Odundo, the 75-year-old Kenyan-born British ceramic artist, discusses her lifelong practice and the cultural and spiritual significance of the ceramic vessel in a recent interview at her studio in Farnham, England. Her career has reached new heights following a record auction result this past summer, when an untitled 1990 piece sold for £723,900 ($995,462) at Sotheby's London, nearly tripling its estimate. This milestone coincides with her debut solo exhibition at Xavier Hufkens in Brussels, running until January 24, featuring works including the large-scale installation Transition II (2014) with 1,001 miniature glass vessels.
Odundo's rising market profile reflects a broader contemporary ceramics craze, yet her practice remains rooted in ancient traditions and academic rigor, drawing from Egyptian, Cycladic, Aztec, Zulu, Yoruba, and Kenyan art. Her work is held by major institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The interview underscores how Odundo's career trajectory—from studying commercial art in 1970s Cambridge to achieving six-figure auction prices—illustrates the growing recognition of ceramics as a fine art medium and the enduring appeal of handmade objects in a digital age.