King Houndekpinkou

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. His adolescence was shaped by his exposure to Japanese pop culture imported to France in the 1990s. This early passion for Japanese culture would become a sustained and pervasive influence on both 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. Utilising what the artist refers to as the ‘universal language of the vessel’, each of Houndekpinkou’s sculptural works are 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.