“I’m trying to see beyond utilitarian work. I want people to see beyond pots mugs and dishes, I want people to put their eyes inside my works instead of putting flowers. I used common shapes to create sculptural potteries because clay is so kind lovely malleable, obedient, and easy to be manipulated. I’m trying to challenge myself every day and I’m still very hungry to create and discover other sides of the clay.”
Djakou Kassi Nathalie was born in Cameroon in 1975 but currently lives and works in Nigeria since 2015.
Nathalie studied ceramics for three years at the ‘Institut Samba Superieur’ on a full scholarship. She has been inspired by art since her childhood and started studio practice very early after her university studies in 1998. The same year, she was also an instructor in the only art school of central Africa in Mbalmayo in Cameroon where she succeeded to introduce the “Matrial Technology” course.
In 2004 she was employed in Centre d’Art Appliqué of Mbalmayo in Cameroon as a ceramist and as chief manager of the ceramic studio. In 2011 was vice president of the craft Association of her local government for 3 years.
She worked with many renowned artists and obtained many distinctions, awards and prizes in and out of Cameroon including the first African prize of creativity of international salon of art craft of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso in 2012, was also one of the 100 winners of the Union Bank art competition for their 100 years anniversary and also participated in a collective exhibition during Women International day in March 2018 at the Wheatbaker hotel.
In June 2019 she was the artist of the month at Thought Pyramid Art Center Lagos for” Mentoring Moments.
