A Delighting Conversation with King Houndekpinkou
courtesy of Hayden Phipps/Southern Guild
Born in Montreuil, France, in 1987, King Houndekpinkou is a Franco-Beninese contemporary ceramic artist who lives in Paris. As part of a rising generation of artists from the African diaspora exploring global possibilities, Houndekpinkou is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) and works extensively in France, Japan, and Benin.
Born to Beninese immigrants, Houndekpinkou grew up in the suburbs of Paris. His adolescence was shaped by his exposure to Japanese pop culture, which he imported to France in the 1990s. This early passion for Japanese culture would become a sustained and pervasive influence on Houndekpinkou’s personal and artistic life.
In 2012, on his first trip to Japan, Houndekpinkou discovered the work of the Keramos group in the town of Bizen, considered one of the six historical cities of ancestral Japanese pottery known as the Roku Koyo. In the ancient Japanese religion of Shintoism, Houndekpinkou found synergies with the Voodoo animist traditions of his Beninese heritage. Moved by the ceremonial approach to the craft, Houndekpinkou made the epiphanic decision to devote his life to ceramics. He began training under the tutelage of celebrated ceramist Toshiaki Shibuta, returning to Bizen each year to complete his training in traditional Japanese pottery.
Houndekpinkou has developed an explorative practice that blends tradition and ancient spirituality with modern techniques. Utilizing what the artist refers to as the ‘universal language of the vessel,’ each of Houndekpinkou’s sculptural works is born from a purity of form. His experimental use of glazes, vibrant colour, and texture inspire an anthropomorphic character in each ceramic vessel. The works are able to take on individual characters, emanating their own energetic presence. Reflective of his own personal narrative, Houndekpinkou’s practice is steeped in cross-cultural connection, drawing together intersectional influences that span both time and place.
In 2016, Houndekpinkou established Terres Jumelles (Twin Soils), a cultural program aiming to unite Benin and Japan through the practice of traditional and contemporary ceramics. He is also a member of the Homo Faber Network of the Michelangelo Foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland. His work is regularly exhibited internationally at art and design fairs, museum exhibitions, and biennales in Australia, Benin, Hong Kong, Japan, Morocco, Senegal, Spain, South Korea, and the USA. His work forms part of the permanent collections of the Grassi Museum of Applied Arts in Germany, the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum Korea Ceramic Foundation in South Korea, and the Boca Raton Museum of Art in the United States, among others.
I had the pleasure of asking King if he recycles his materials, his favorite part of the art-making process, the moments that he finds that bring him the most joy, and so much more.
UZOMAH: What is something uniquely innovative about your approach to ceramics that someone might not know about?
KING: I would have to say that one of the novelties that comes with my works is the creation of a new cultural route between Japan and Benin in the field of ceramics.
U: How do the ancient vases and sculptures, with their rich history and intricate designs, deeply inspire and guide your creative process? Do they lead you to create replicas or encourage you to create something entirely unique?
K: I like sampling some of the old shapes or details, and then I reinterpret them using my own imagination. I want the work to be a bridge between past, present and future.
King Houndekpinkou, Jumbo Bubble Tea Doll, 2024 courtesy of Hayden Phipps/Southern Guild
U: Do you recycle your materials?
K: Yes, I recycle/reuse both my clay and glazes.
U: How long does it take to make your artwork?
K: It’s always hard for me to give a precise duration of the creative process because I feel like time no longer exists when I’m in that trance. However, what I can say is that in the context of Six Prayers, it took me two months to create all six works. I never work on just one piece at a time but rather on several works simultaneously.
King Houndekpinkou, Outer Space Gold Ritual Vessel: I Refused to Let You Down, 2024 courtesy of Hayden Phipps/Southern Guild
U: Your work is often described as a fusion of untraditional styles with the traditional roots of ceramic art. How do you manage to strike this balance and create something truly unique?
K: I think it’s a meticulous cocktail between letting my imagination run free while having it supported by the traditional pottery shapes that we all know such as the cup, the bowl and the vase.
U: Could you share your favorite part of the art-making process and the moments you find that bring you the most joy?
K: The stage when I add texture onto the clay body. It can take up to 5-6 hours, which leaves me in a meditative state. It clears my mind.
King Houndekpinkou, Blue Cavilux: Excavated From the Wonders of the Underworld, 2024 courtesy of Hayden Phipps/Southern Guild
U: How do you create in a way that allows you to stay true to your creative and artistic statement?
K: It’s a mix of listening to my intuition and never forgetting the reason why I started making ceramics in the first place: self-understanding through clay and a better comprehension of the world we live in.
King Houndekpinkou, The Widow of Light: Bruised to the Bone, 2024 courtesy of Hayden Phipps/Southern Guild
U: How would you describe your art to someone who has never seen it or is unfamiliar with ceramics?
K: I use clay to tell and share stories. My pieces tend to be colorful and textured – they provide an entire tactile experience for the viewer. In fact, I would say that it’s my signature textured surfaces that make my works quintessentially mine.
King Houndekpinkou, The Sea Widow: To All Those Brave Men Who Carried You Out of the Sea, 2024 courtesy of Hayden Phipps/Southern Guild
U: What stands out to you in what makes an artwork a masterpiece or something worth highly considered significant?
K: If a piece makes me shed a tear, then it’s a masterpiece to me.
For more information about King Houndekpinkou’s artwork, please visit him on Instagram here. The magazine showcases his current exhibition, which is also available here.
