Architecture
Magdalene Odundo and David Adjaye
“Transition II” was redesigned for this location.
Image courtesy of: Surface Magazine
Last summer, David Adjaye designed an exhibition for the Kenyan-born, British-based artist Magdalene Odundo at the Sainsbury Center for Visual Arts in Norfolk, England. Adjaye Associates created the layout for the ceramicist’s latest exhibition titled, “The Journey of Things.”
Another angle of “Transition II”.
Image courtesy of: Dezeen, photographed by: Gilmar Ribeiro
This site-specific installation is Odundo’s largest, and perhaps greatest work. 1,001 individual glass pieces are suspended from the ceiling as though in a wave. The project was created during Odundo’s residency at the National Glass Centre in 2014. The ambitious installation has been viewed previously… but the way in which it was hung at the Sainsbury Center for Visual Arts was very specific.
The show follows a run at the Hepworth Museum in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The Wakefield exhibition was designed by the architect Farshid Moussavi.
Image courtesy of: Dezeen, photographed by: Andy Crouch
Adjaye’s design and layout is comprised of gray, circular bases placed in six interconnected spaces throughout the exhibition. More than fifty of Odundo’s works will be displayed. Adjaye describes the installation design, “The concept inspiration is derived from an archipelago, a cluster of objects found within an open space. Although scattered there is still an inherent grouping, a family of plinths that allow the visitor the opportunity to weave in-between and explore the exhibition.”
“Untitled”, 1986.
Image courtesy of: University for the Creative Arts
Although Adjaye designed the exhibition, Odundo had quite a bit of input that she contributed. In addition to her own work, the ceramicist wanted to feature things that she was personally connected with and that inspired her craft. The objects chosen span from around the world and encompass 3,000 years of ceramics.
Odundo’s work rests at the center of the artifacts selected. Other pieces include ancient vessels from Greece and Egypt and ceramics from Africa, Asia, and Central America. In addition pottery by Lucy Rie and Hans Coper was beautifully represented. Finally, contemporary works by Yinka Shonibare and El Anatsui, among others, are also shown.
Magdalene Odundo in front of a couple of pieces from her installation at The Hepworth Wakefield. This show opened prior to the one in Norfolk. The exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts which is on display through December 19, 2019.
Image couresty of: The Hepworth Wakefield
The exhibition design intends to create “a balance between Magdalene’s work and the eclectic array of other objects within the exhibition”, while at the same time, telling the artist’s story.
