Some artists are specifically influenced by the human body, which they regard as a vessel. Indeed, ceramic vessels exhibit an anthropomorphic presence: their upper rim represents the lips, which extend down to the neck, then to the shoulder, to the belly, and end with the foot. Emotional expressions such as gestures, stance, and facial movements often serve as starting points for the silhouette or form of a vessel. For these artists, the gracefully shaped vessel is more than just a physical object.

Magdalene Odundo

Magdalene Odundo was born in 1950 in Nairobi, Kenya, where she received her initial training as a graphic artist. In 1971, she moved to London, United Kingdom, and studied graphic design at the Cambridge School of Art, then ceramics at the University for the Creative Arts. Odundo explores themes of transition, identity, and cultural hybridity. Her work is characterized by elegant and fluid forms that often evoke the human body and blend a wide range of ceramic traditions from around the world. Her unique style draws its roots from traditional techniques and contemporary artistic expression. Odundo shapes her pieces from coils of clay, which she then polishes to an exceptional sheen before firing them in a reduced atmosphere, resulting in a lustrous black or a vibrant orange-red color. In her practice, the vessels are not static objects, but living entities. They are considered sculptural rather than purely utilitarian, and they convey the depths of the connection between clay, spirituality, and humanity.

Chris Bramble

Chris Bramble was born in 1958 in London, United Kingdom, and grew up in Glasgow. In 1981, he graduated in ceramics from the Glasgow School of Art where he developed an interest in European sculpture and African craftsmanship. In 1985, Bramble moved to Zimbabwe where he worked as an exhibition officer of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. For two years, he participated in the organization of multiple exhibitions. He met local artists and attended workshops which introduced him to methods of colloquial stone sculpture. He learned processes of carving serpentines, and translated these new forms and techniques to his ceramic work. Upon his return to London, Bramble embraced a more figurative style, blending hand-built sculptures with thrown ware. Since setting up his own studio in 1988, he has been making hand-thrown porcelain pots decorated with natural-toned glazes, and hand-carved stoneware vases adorned with detailed faces reminiscent of traditional African busts.

Etiyé Dimma Poulsen

Etiyé Dimma Poulsen was born in 1968 in Ethiopia, where she lived until the age of six, leaving the country with her foster Danish parents after her mother died prematurely. Poulsen never received any formal art training, but she studied art history at the university in Denmark. After graduating, she began a career as a painter before discovering ceramic art when she moved to France in 1990. Poulsen creates ceramic sculptures which essentially consist of slim silhouettes colored with natural pigments. She uses wire to create the basic shape of her subject, which she then sculpts with fine clay. Once the figure has its final shape, she bakes it in the oven to obtain a complete sculpture. Poulsen’s work explores themes of beauty, vulnerability, and authenticity. She is influenced by traditional African art and indigenous Oceanic art. Her subjects are ordinary people, mainly women whose bodies are depicted in an elementary way, with an emphasis on the breasts, hips, and lips.