Obbe is an Amsterdam based artist who works with clay, porcelain, found objects, and living materials. His artist name is an acronym for Olly Bound By Earth, a reminder that his life is inseparable from the world around him, from the natural materials he works with, and from the people who have shaped him.

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He grew up in a home surrounded by paintings, sculptures, and creative work. As a child he spent summers in the south of France, where he and his father made pottery together. These early experiences formed a deep connection to clay as both a material and a way of thinking. At twelve he sculpted a goblin figure that visiting gallerists praised. That memory resurfaced later in life when he returned to the form as part of his artistic development.

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Before becoming an artist, he studied psychology and worked for several years in human resources. Although the work was stable, it left him increasingly disconnected from himself. In 2022 he left the corporate world and took an orientation course at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie. This confirmed what he already sensed. Clay was not a hobby. It was a necessary part of his life.

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He founded OBBE Studio soon after and began producing work that blended emotional honesty with material experimentation. Sustainability is central to his practice. He recycles clay, works with local and European materials, uses renewable electricity, and is a member of One Percent for the Planet. His sculptures incorporate moss and other organic elements, reflecting his belief that art can participate in ecological care.

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Becoming is his debut exhibition. It introduces an artist whose work does not hide instability or uncertainty, but who uses them as sources of openness, curiosity, and presence.