Pottery and Ceramic Artist

Born in Offa, West Central Nigeria in 1959, Odion Ogogo’s family is rooted in the artistic heritage of the Benin region. Odion’s father served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, then became a railway engineer - the family name means ‘son of a blacksmith’. Expected to find similar work, Odion spent seven unhappy years working as a surveyor, before being introduced to the art of pottery by his brother Tony, himself a famous ceramicist. Odion came to Britain in the 1980’s to study pottery at Lowestoft and Harrow Colleges, then the College of Art at Central London Polytechnic. Since then, he has become a highly skilled potter working with Tony, and also regularly tutors students. An ardent and productive ceramicist, his main concern is to create new shapes, forms, colours and glazes. “I love working in this medium” he says. “It’s not like wood, metal or fabric, you can bend it, squash it – do anything with it.”

Odion’s enthusiasm is reflected in the way he works, a skilled ‘thrower’ he is constantly producing new work, from his colourful and striking ‘Y-Shaped Vases’ to the deliciously named ‘Blue Honey Glaze’ range. Aesthetically, his pieces are at once masculine and feminine, his choice of colours ranging from subtle to bold. The lilac and purple colours used in his vases, bottles and plates particularly highlight this feminine and sensitive side to his work, and his skilful creations show elements of both the Benin style and European pottery traditions. “I am very passionate about my work,” says Odion. “I want to make more and more vases and to constantly improve. During a studio session once, a student saw me put a finished vase in the bin, I was not happy with it but he said it was beautiful and took it home. It’s great to get positive feedback like this, it really gives me confidence.”

Modest about his ability to create stunning ceramics, Odion’s work is fast gaining recognition. Constantly wrestling with the perfection of size, shape and colour, the work produced for this current collection has been a significant challenge. Much of his existing portfolio was lost to a studio fire in 2004. Yet, the strength of his enthusiasm has seen Odion through, “I love making African pottery because you can express your imagination,” he says. “Most pieces in this style have a story to tell, and we can use traditional methods of glazing, carving or smoke firing to apply unique and distinctive decorations.” Odion continues, “If you look at most African pottery its form and colour has some kind of meaning behind it. For example, I’ve created a vase shaped like the elegant neck of a Sudanese woman, and you could also do this with a Masai vase to reflect their culture. If you’re making African vases, you can definitely put stories into them.”

Odion’s dedication to his art was recently recognised in his homeland, when he was made patron of the Ceramic Potters Association of South West Nigeria. Inspired by potters like Michael Casson as a student, and supported along the way by fellow classmates and his elder brother, Odion has achieved a great deal in a relatively short time. His work is now widely sought after in both Britain and Nigeria.

Odion Ogogo aims to produce a huge 25 kg vase for his next project, and sees a market for his unique ceramics abroad. “I would like my work to be exported to countries like America and Brazil,” he says, “with the help of the Art Ministry I’m sure this can be achieved.”  

To view samples of Odion’s work click on the Gallery. To see his current collection click here.

If you would like to view his work in person, click on Events to find out where his work is showing next.

To keep updated on the development of Odion’s future projects click here.

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