I always like to get emotion in,' says celebrated silversmith Ndidi Ekubia talking through the process of her distinctive works. Ndidi's richly textured, gleaming silver vessels ripple with life, her personality reflected in the undulating, rhythmic hammer marks. The smooth indentations of each strike she has made capture the essence of her character strong but gentle - and call to mind waves, wind and plants. 'Pattern in nature is the main thing for me.'
Speaking from Mauritius during a rare trip to mark her 50th birthday, she talks about getting back into the swing of things'. She's recently returned to her home ground, Manchester, with her two young children, and is looking to start making large vessels once again. 'I might make more jewellery, too,' she muses.
Ndidi has been silversmithing for more than 25 years and has work in the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, and private collections around the world. She was awarded an MBE for silversmithing in 2017, and her pieces are already becoming heirlooms and beginning to surface at auction (a large vessel sold for $25,000 in New York in 2019). She's currently exhibiting in a major show at Chatsworth. I've been around for ages, people must be bored of me,' she says. Not so - people can't get enough of Ndidi. And a new generation of art collectors and lovers have started investing in and revering her works.
Art dealer Adrian Sassoon spotted her pieces at the Chelsea Crafts Fair in 2002 and the gallery has represented her ever since. 'Ndidi's work imbues a great sense of rhythm that is uniquely hers, where the material comes alive with a palpable energy,' says George Ludlow, operations manager at Adrian Sassoon.
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Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Homes & Antiques.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place
Pride of place LEEDS CREAMWARE
In its heyday the pre-eminent rival to Wedgwood's Queens ware, Leeds creamware is still much revered by collectors for its understated elegance
Bohemian Rhapsody
An exuberant approach to decor, with rooms enveloped in colour and pattern, has brought this historic home merrily into the 21st century...
THE ANTIQUES THAT SHAPED ME Rory Hutton
The accessories designer on his love of silver spoons and Sévres porcelain
European HERITAGE B&Bs
Is there anything more inspiring than staying somewhere that's both beautifully stylish and imbued with history? Rhiannon Batten explores five gems across Europe, from Sweden to Spain...
STAR SALES
A Hitchens painting, a museum-quality teapot and a Parisian chocolate box are all top of the lots
Textile designs by artists
Influential 20th-century fine artists and sculptors, from Picasso to Barbara Hepworth, gained additional status as textile designers until decline set in during the 1970s
Period DRAMA
A painstaking renovation has brought this 1725 former Huguenot silk weaver's house in London's Spitalfields back to life
An artist's RESIDENCE
Rustic details and a restrained palette lend a sense of simplicity to this lovingly restored Friesian bakery
Carefully Curated LIVING
This lovingly restored Gustavian manor has become both home and showroom for its owners, Maria & Jan Åke, who deal in European antiques