Onno Theelen (b. 1996) is a Dutch ceramic artist whose elaborate sculptures combine exceptional craftsmanship with humour and the grotesque. Drawing on European decorative arts and historic collections, he plays with familiar codes of taste, wealth and status.

Theelen takes objects traditionally associated with prestige and lets nature take over. Frogs, reptiles, birds and strange creatures invade these carefully crafted objects, transforming symbols of refinement into something wild, playful and unexpected.

The result is a constant tension between refinement and excess. With humour and remarkable technical skill, developed during his time as an assistant to Carolein Smit, Theelen turns the traditional trophy of success into a playground for an unruly natural world.

In 2026, Theelen is the subject of his first museum solo exhibition, Vreemde Snuiters, at the Purmerends Museum.