photo: Hayden Phipps, Stephanie Veldman
Bold and emblazoned with character, the ceramic work of Madoda Fani carries a dramatically unique sensibility. Inspired by his African heritage, Fani makes hand-coiled, burnished and smoke-fired pieces that are a contemporary evolution of the traditional ceramics indigenous to Southern Africa. Born in 1975, Fani grew up in Gugulethu township in Cape Town and studied graphic design at Sivuyile College. To make money to further his studies, he worked as a ceramic painter in various pottery studios, resulting in his love for clay being born and slowly developing his own pieces and style. In 2000, his work was selected for the Salon Internationale de l’Artisanat de Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. There he met the ceramicist Simon Masilo, who introduced him to smoke firing.