Ömer Öner
©All rights reserved
Ömer Öner
©All rights reserved
Ömer Öner
©All rights reserved
Ömer Öner
©All rights reserved
Ömer Öner
©All rights reserved

Ömer Öner

Ceramicist

London, United Kingdom

Overlooked materials in clay forms

  • Ömer's work focuses on giving found objects a new purpose
  • His practice involves slip casting and mould making techniques
  • He is a Selected Member of the Craft Potters Association

Ömer Öner transforms discarded materials into fine porcelain art from his studio at Cockpit Bloomsbury. After earning a BA and MA in medieval history and working as a university lecturer in Turkey, he sought a creative shift and moved to the UK to study ceramic design at Central Saint Martins. Inspired by his background, Ömer collects trolley wheels, bed knobs and scrap metal, in a process he calls street archaeology. He preserves these mass-produced items through plaster mould making and slip casting in fine porcelain or parian clay. Fusing the fragile replicas together, Ömer creates highly ornate, one-of-a-kind teapots, candlesticks and vases. “By reconfiguring these elements, I explore transformation and the renewed presence of overlooked objects,” he says. Ömer's work has been featured at the International Ceramics Exhibition in Mino, Japan, the London Art Fair and charitable exhibitions at Sotheby’s London.

Ömer Öner is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2015.

INTERVIEW

I am drawn to overlooked objects from everyday life. I am fascinated by plastic kitchenware. They reflect a shift in how we relate to everyday objects and mass production. I also find the elaborate architecture and intricate detailing of structures from medieval and Rococo styles visually compelling.

I enjoy working between control and chance. Slip casting gives structure, while assembly remains unpredictable. Clay allows different materials and references to meet in one form. Ultimately, my practice changes how I see everyday objects, making the overlooked feel alive through transformation.

By applying bright stains in porcelain slip, I challenge material perception. Ceramic candle holders are often mistaken for plastic. People often cannot tell where my objects sit between function and sculpture. The combination of material illusion, transformation and reassembly creates a sense of ambiguity.

I remove the original function of found objects and reassign them a new role by combining different elements into a single material through mould making and slip casting. I study how familiar forms can shift meaning and function when they are taken out of context.