Özgü Gündeşlioğlu

Özgü Gündeşlioğlu is an independent visual artist and educator whose work is material-driven. She predominantly explores the realms of clay and ceramics. Central to her practice is the use of clay as a theme and metaphor across different contexts; a way of thinking through the material itself. Her creative and pedagogical processes are shaped by experimentation, improvisation, and collaboration.

She completed her PhD in Turkish at Akdeniz University in 2019, where her thesis explored the coexistence of opposites through ceramic practice. This research led her to the Centre for Artistic Research (CfAR) at the University of the Arts Helsinki as a visiting postdoctoral researcher in 2020. Her journey includes nine years as a full-time researcher at Akdeniz University, alongside guest researcher positions at Oslo Metropolitan University and Aalto University.

Recently, her practice has undergone a significant transformation. Personal and societal shifts; motherhood, political paradigm shifts, and her identity as an immigrant have altered her communication with the material. Over the past two years, she has gradually moved away from the permanence of fired ceramics, focusing instead on temporary installations with unfired clay, drawn to its recyclability, capacity for renewal, and performativity.

In November 2025, she initiated Sculpt Your Finnish, an alternative language learning tool for adult Finnish learners. She continues this trajectory with workshops at the University of Helsinki. Özgü lives and works in Helsinki. She also contributes voluntarily to the artistic community as a board member of Catalysti: Transcultural Artists in Finland.