Felekşan Onar

From her time at Cornell University, New York, where she studied Economics and Music, to her Eastern Mediterranean roots, the factors that have played a part in influencing and inspiring the Turkish glass artist Felekşan Onar are diverse and, at times, a little surprising.

Although Felekşan was first introduced to the art of glass when attending Izmir American College, it would be several years before she finally devoted herself to her art. 

After completing her studies, Felekşan returned to Turkey and began working at Citibank in Istanbul. 

An interest in the city’s commercial landscape prompted Felekşan to go into business herself and, in the following years, she channelled her energy into family concerns focused on both textiles and milling.

Yet even though these were busy years, made more so by her decision to enroll on an executive education programme in 2000 at Harvard, Felekşan never lost her passion for glass art.

Significantly, she found herself drawing glass objects – a move that prompted her to return to this beloved pathway and formalise her passion by attending the Glass Furnace, an Istanbul-based foundation where artists are able to work intensively on their application and production techniques. The institute also sets out to promote glass art and cultural activities.