Magdalene Odundo

Ceramic artist, Surrey

Magdalene Odundo, who was born in Kenya before moving to the UK as a student in 1971, is an acclaimed ceramic artist whose work draws on ancient making traditions from across the globe. A major exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield in 2019, ‘The Journey of Things’, presented historical and contemporary art selected by the artist alongside Odundo’s elegant ceramic, as well as her prints, drawings and glass installations. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the British Museum, London; and the Art Institute of Chicago. Odundo has also dedicated much of her career to art education, acting as a lecturer and mentor to many younger artists and encouraging them to explore ceramic art in their own practices. From 2004–14 she was Professor of Ceramics at the University for the Creative Arts. Odundo is now Professor Emerita and was made Chancellor of the university in 2018. After receiving an OBE in 2008, this year she was made a Dame (DBE) in the New Year Honours for her contribution to art and art education in the UK.

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