A new exhibit by Magdalene Odundo—Kenyan-born, British artist—at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich, England, is getting the David Adjaye touch. The high-profile architect’s studio, Adjaye Associates, has created the layout for world-renowned ceramicists latest exhibit, “The Journey of Things,” at the Norman Foster-designed gallery and museum.
The design and layout is comprised of gray, circular plinths in various interconnected spaces throughout the exhibition. It will have more than 50 of Odundo’s works, including Transition II, a composition of 1,001 suspended glass pieces. Redesigned at each location it is shown in, Transition II was first created by Odundo during a residency at the National Glass Centre in 2014 with glassblower James Maskrey.
Overall, the presentation is a small, elegant example by someone who has become one of the world’s most sought-after architects. Already, Adjaye’s studio had its hand in the creation of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History in Washington D.C., the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, and the Spyscape Museum in New York City.
Here, his practice has created something hauntingly appropriate in service of Odundo. The exhibition, yes, features her works, but it is also a platform that allows her sensibilities to stretch across centuries. On the plinths sit objects from around the world that Odundo has chosen herself, a survey of craft spanning over 3,000 years. Her work rests at the center of artifacts that have inspired her, including pottery by Hans Coper and Lucy Rie, ancient vessels from Greece and Egypt, ceramics from Africa, Asia, and Central America, as well as contemporary works from Yinka Shonibare and El Anatsui—a survey breathtaking in scope and presentation.
“Magdelene Odundo: The Journey of Things” will be on display through December 19 at Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, UK.
