ALL FIRED UP

King Houndekpinkou’s other-worldly ceramic art connects Japanese craft, African Voodoo and pop culture

- MINAKO NORIMATSU

Benin in West Africa and Japan in the Far East. Ancestral pottery and space-age video games. King Houndekpinkou, an emerging ceramic artist based in Paris, pulls together these seemingly disparate influences to create sculptures characterised by bursts of bold colour, playful spikes and cracked surfaces. They are not indebted to any style or school, but instead reflect his background and perspective: a life defined by happy accidents.

Of Beninese origin, Houndekpinkou, 34, was born and raised in the suburbs of Paris. As a video game-obsessed kid, he developed a fascination for Japan’s pop culture. ‘My favourite was Zelda for its colours and motion graphics. I also loved the solution-seeking side of the games. For me, Nintendo also meant getting to spend time with my cousin, who was my playmate,’ recalls the ceramist. Today, his creative universe still feeds off this childhood passion: he is fond of dynamic forms, eye-popping colours and human connection.