
Sofia Vellano Rubin
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£3,000 - £5,000
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Provenance
A private collection.
Ladi Kwali began pottery making at six years old and was taught by the women of her family as it was a traditional practice for women of the Gwarin Yamma culture. Joining the Abuja Pottery Training Centre in 1954, Ladi Kwali was already an established potter with the Emir of Abuja already holding a collection of her works. Kwali joined Michael Cardew, the director of the centre, on his European (1962-63) and American (1972) demonstrative and educational tours. The result of her efforts and exposure would lead to her MBE which was awarded to her in 1962 and receiving the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 1981. In 1970, she was further awarded an honorary doctorate from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria. Ladi Kwali's image is used on the 20 Naira Nigerian bank note and a major street in Abuja has been named Ladi Kwali Road, emphasising her importance as a historically significant person. Through these acknowledgments and artistic exposure and with a newfound global respect for her practice, Kwali would influence a number of the next generation of potters and artists such as Magdalene Odundo.