Oliver Tanay – 14^th-19^th June 2022

Oliver Akdeniz is a young ceramic artist whose work is characterised by story-driven compositions, striking glazes and a distinctive textural style. A graduate of UAL, Central St Martin’s, he currently works out of his studio in Sussex.

Working in porcelain and other clays, Oliver uses his ceramic art to draw attention to environmental issues; his pieces dealing in different ways with problems affecting our natural world.

In each of his pieces, the cost of environmental change is focalised through the central figure of the bee – which serves throughout his work as a symbol of both vulnerability and hope for the future.

Juxtaposing fashion and ceramics, the ‘Beehive Skirt’ is a meditation on the environmental impacts of fashion production and consumption.

The ‘Pollen Path’ series further highlights the plight of the bee, through an artful ceramic recreation of the texture of pollen.

‘Pollen is the life source, and the pollen path is the path to the centre’.

In his ‘Cracked Earth’ series, Oliver has pioneered a unique crackle texture, designed to evoke the geometric forms of parched earth, as a comment on the growing frequency of drought conditions. This textural meaning is complemented by Oliver’s use of glazes, which speak about other environmental issues, including wildfires and the pollution of the seas.

Tables and Homeware
Oliver has designed a series of elegant tables – handmade from walnut wood – each holding a unique porcelain creation from his ceramic series.

CONTACT
olivertanay@hotmail.com
07738 674716