ARTEGALATA / ABOUT
Özlem Demirel is a Turkish ceramic artist based in Budapest and the person behind Artegalata Studio, bringing together cultural memory, contemporary form and the everyday ritual of making.
ABOUT / 01
Making as a way back to myself.
I discovered my passion for ceramics while searching for a tangible creative outlet during a period of academic burnout.
Today, I try to bring that same fascination and sense of wonder into every piece, connecting my cultural heritage with a contemporary visual language to create work that feels personal, tactile and alive.
ABOUT / 02
The name Artegalata was born from days spent beneath Istanbul's Galata Tower — a place where history, movement and everyday life seem to exist at once. Sitting in a small café nearby, I would watch people rush past while finding unexpected moments of stillness within the noise. That relationship between chaos and quiet, history and everyday ritual, continues to shape how I think about objects and making.
ABOUT / 03
A studio built around making together.
During my academic life, I often felt the weight of working alone. That experience became part of the reason I wanted Artegalata to be more than a place where ceramics are simply produced.
The workshops are built around sharing, learning and experimenting together — creating a warm space where the process matters as much as the finished object.
ABOUT / 04
A gentler pace.
Embracing my naturally messy mind, I find meaning in making as a way of creating moments of calm within life's noise.
I now try to work and live at a gentler pace, putting genuine values at the centre of what I do. Slowing down allows me to find more meaning in each object, every piece of clay I shape and every experience shared in the studio.
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