Paul O’Connor - Festive Feral Vase 1, 2025 - Recycled clay with porcelain inset on glass and mirror bases - 26.5x16.5x13cm (base 4x20x20cm)

Paul O’Connor is a self-described “hoarder, collector, dreamer and creator”. Over the past 30 years he has worked in many creative fields- as an artist, lecturer, creative director, brand manager, editor, visual merchandiser and fashion stylist. Returning to his art-making practice in 2020, after a 20 year hiatus, Paul discovered the medium of ceramics.

Growing up in suburban Safety Bay, Western Australia, Paul's childhood was filled with a hybrid of cultures - gods, monsters and video game arcades - sprinkled with a variety of pop sensibilities. The department store and discotheque soon became his tribal land where the space between dreams and reality was immeasurable and unpredictable. This excavation into his memories, mixed with a fascination of storytelling, have materialised into archaeological finds with a twist of queer innuendo.