A conversation with Woody De Othello on Making and Meaning
- Jan 9
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 6
Woody De Othello’s practice moves fluidly between ceramics and painting, drawing on intuition, ancestry, and the quiet currents of everyday life. In this candid interview, he reflects on how spirituality, dreams, and texts like The Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Upanishads inform his work, alongside contemporary influences from television and storytelling. Othello discusses the evolving role of ceramics, the deliberate use of color in his exhibitions, and the centrality of human touch and presence in his art.
This conversation reveals an artist deeply attuned to both the seen and unseen, creating work that resonates with soul and curiosity.
By Khaya Mnisi
Your show ‘coming forth by day’ draws from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and your work was described by Nowness as exploring clay, ancestry, and the psychology of everyday objects. What pulls you toward these themes? And what do they open up for you — both in your ceramics and in your paintings?
It feels more like a curiosity or an innate knowing. I rely so heavily on my intuition and dreams, being in stillness and trying to slow down to listen. It feels like a subtle breeze or hint that you just follow. I would also describe it like being on a stream and the raft you're on has no sail so you just go along with the current and pace of the stream not trying to force anything, going the direction of the wind. I listen a lot to my environment, to my feelings and I try to point my ears towards my heart or in the area of my solar plexus to try and hear the things that are unheard, towards silence but also to just look at what's right in front of me.
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I watched Kirikou and the Sorceress the other day, and a few moments in that film instantly made me think of your work. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It made me wonder: are there any films that have inspired you or fed into the way you imagine your pieces — whether you’re working in clay or on canvas?
Thanks for that, I haven't watched Kirikou and the Sorceress, I'll add that to my to watch list. I'm not a huge film buff but I do watch series. I finished “Invasion” on Apple TV and for me, the show questioned themes around consciousness, the cosmic, the space beyond the visible sensible realm and the collective. It made me actually reread the Upanishads and to look at meditation in a new way. Right now I'm watching The Sopranos and that whole show is very biblical. I've been reading the bible so it's making me think a lot about stories from there, specifically the Book of Samuel with King Paul and the rise of King David, themes about jealousy, envy, pride, ego and morality. The show to me is also very Jungian with the relationship between Tony and his psychiatrist, the decoding of his dreams, symbols. The show can get a little surreal at times and it's making me think about my own personal symbols and has me looking at writing my dreams down more.
You strike me as someone who can read a book and squeeze a whole world out of it. Besides the Book of the Dead, what books have shaped you? And for someone who feels that same pull toward spirituality, intuition, or ancestry, what would you tell them to read?
I absolutely love books and I love to read. I love the feeling of my consciousness becoming expanded because I've learned something new or something has just twisted my thoughts. Dr Muata Ashby’s The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a game changer for me and has deeply changed me because its cross religious study and embodiment, it makes me rethink the everyday and being conscious in a physical form. The ancient Egyptians were so attuned to death that they created a faith that constantly seeks towards the unconscious realm. A system of writing based on symbols pulled from the everyday to seek understanding of the unseen from the realm of the seen, as above, so below.
Some books that continue to shape me that I’d recommend would be the Kybalion by The Three Initiates, Of Water and Spirit by Malidoma Patrice Somé, the Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads translated by Swami Paramananda. All the aforementioned books are religious spiritual texts and thought.
Some books that have connected me with my African ancestry I would highly recommend: Introduction to African Civilizations by John G Jackson; Nile Valley Civilization by Anthony Browder; anything by Cheikh Anta Diop, John Henrik Clarke, Robert Farris Thompson. I also would recommend Bantu Kongo Cosmology by Fu Kiau. Rituals Resistance by Jason Young was absolutely transformative for me.
I was reading about art collector Pauline Karpidas recently, and one of the works pictured made me immediately think of you. It made me wonder: if the artist — in this case you — could choose the ideal collector, famous or not, to steward their work, who would that person be, and why them? Who would you choose?
Someone who loves art. I've been fortunate enough to meet some of the people who've collected my art and for the most part people are in it because they love art and want to steward it. They love to support artists and believe in artists and our place in culture and society, it's deeply humbling. I think love has to be at the center because otherwise it becomes about speculation and hype and that’s not where I'm coming from with my practice. Love keeps things open and curious.
I’ve noticed your shows rarely stick to the usual white walls. There’s green, purple, orange… and it really changes how both the sculptures and the paintings feel. What draws you to these kinds of environments?
For me making sculpture is so much about being in my body and how objects relate to my body in space so when making an exhibition this is at the front of my mind. How does one become a little more aware of their body in space? I think changing the wall color is a simple way to start that awareness. There is also something about agency and creating a mood. The changing of the walls also helps me to guide the color palette of the actual works.
Growing up, ceramics in the house were always treated like untouchable decorations — beautiful but not seen with the same “importance” as paintings. Now ceramics are everywhere, taking center stage. What do you think is behind this shift? And where do you see the medium heading?
Ceramics have always been everywhere, in our homes, in our everyday use. I think in terms of art it has taken up more space along with other “craft” mediums such as textiles. I think as we continue onward in the virtual world, as we’re spending more and more time on our devices there’s also a counter push towards things that feel more tactile, where that human prescience is actually felt. There is a way that ceramics capture the human hand that is captivating — with clay being such a hands-based material, it carries evidence of the human soul imprinted within the work. It's physical touch, maybe that's why there's been a shift.
If you had to describe your work — all of it, across mediums — in four words, what would they be?
Human Touch Soulful Spirit
Sometimes I discover an artist whose work I simply love looking at, and sometimes I discover an artist who makes me want to start creating myself. Your practice has that effect. What would you say to someone who reads this and suddenly feels inspired to follow a path like yours?
That's very sweet of you to say, like truly, the fact that my work is able to resonate is amazing. To anyone who wants to embark on a creative journey, I would say to make your own path. There’s no right or wrong way to do it, and that selfless action is the most rewarding. To make something not because you're seeking something in return but to make things because you're curious and want to find out something new or unknown. Try to be generous and as giving as possible.
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