Magdalene Odundo at Houghton Hall documents an exhibition by the renowned ceramic artist Dame Magdalene Odundo, curated by Andrew Bonacina. Set within Houghton Hall’s exuberant Palladian interiors, Odundo’s contemporary ceramic and glass works instigate an intriguing dialogue with the complex social and political history of this home, built by Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole.
The publication’s wraparound cover showcases one of Odundo’s characteristically anthropomorphic vessels, printed on black paper with duotone black and metallic ink to mimic the luminosity of the burnished clay vessel. The title and essay pages are printed on a distinctive yellow paper – a colour taken from the exhibition’s centerpiece sculpture, made using historic Wedgwood molds, which explores narratives of slavery, abolition and activism. Installation photography throughout utilises unusual crops to further emphasise the interplay between the historic and the contemporary which permeates much of Odundo's work.
