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Danlami Aliyu started working at the
Abuja Pottery, Nigeria in 1966 when he was 14
years old. This was just after Michael Cardew, who had founded the pottery,
had returned to England, leaving Michael
O’Brien in charge. There Danlami was trained by two of the senior Nigerian
potters, Ladi Kwali and Bawa Ushufa, and then he joined former Cardew pupil
Kofi Athey at the Jos Museum of Pottery. In 1975 Danlami came over to England to work with Michael
Cardew at Wenford Bridge, followed by studies
at Farnham School of Art from 1976 – 79. Upon graduation he was given a one
man exhibition at the Commonwealth Institute in London and then returned to Nigeria, where he was
initially employed as a photographer for which he gained a number of awards.
Eventually, he
was able to persuade the government to allow him to start a pottery and in
1985 he and his brother, Umuru, with the help of
Michael O’Brien set up the Maraba Pottery. Three
years later Umuru took over the pottery, allowing
Danlami to establish his own Al Habib studio in his
home town of Minna.
Danlami’s work
has been included in a couple of Harlequin Gallery exhibitions in the past
and his work has been shown elsewhere in the UK as well as in Europe.
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