Video

Fracture and Fragment

"Every act of creation is first an act of destruction." Pablo Picasso

Sandra Shashou’s new body of work, comprising of arrangements of smashed fragments of bone china tea sets, oscillates between modalities of dissolution and reformulation, order and rupture, and historical eras.

Her source material is the bone china produced by Europe’s finest porcelain manufacturers, as the titles of her works indicate – Hamilton, Argyle, Tuscan, Royal Albert, Wedgwood, Limoges, Meito hand-painted and Cobalt – and collected by her from dealers and flea markets. The designs range across centuries and topographies: in one work the lemons and blues of Art Deco, in another the crimson of Edwardian and Victorian designs, and in a third the blue tracery of Chinoiserie.

Shashou brings these tea sets back to her studio and using a small hammer she shatters, punctures, chips and fragments. And yet the shapes of the original crockery are somehow preserved and repurposed in her intricate constructions. The curves of the broken tea sets undulate across simple rectangular surfaces, or swirl around rotundas with a baroque flamboyance. In some the pieces lock tightly together as if part of some giant Cubist puzzle, in other shards seem to be caught in the freeze frame of a constructivist explosion. Her chromatically rich, harmonious works match crimsons, mustard yellows and pinks, or mauve, turquoise and blue. Set in a gold or white ground, Shashou’s fragments unfold like Jackson Pollock’s all-over paintings – only shattered, not splattered.

Shashou has found inspiration in the Japanese art of Kintsugi, in which broken bowls were repaired with beautiful golden joins, so fashionable in the 17th century, that people were accused of deliberately smashing valuable pottery so it could be remade in this manner.

Some may read a social comment in her work, a playful rupturing of bourgeois values. The order and tranquillity of a daily routine, with its echoes of Victorian Britain, Alice in Wonderland and social conformity, tea-time, has been literally shattered.

Shashou herself prefers to foreground the emotional and biographical metaphors embedded in the work. Smashing crockery is, after all, a time-honoured feature of the lovers’ row. “Breakage and fractures are part of the chance and fate of human life, part of our personal history,” she says, "I embrace vulnerability and fragility. In truth that is how we reveal ourselves and really connect.” When Shashou has looked back on love that has disintegrated, and reflected on the times when she has felt ‘shattered’, she has realised that the pieces have rearranged themselves in a new harmonious order. “They fitted together but not they did before."

Complex and intricate, exuberant and elegant, Sandra Shashou’s new body of work, comprises of arrangements of smashed fragments of vintage fine bone china tea sets, Russian Lomonosov porcelain, Spanish Lladro and Nao ballerina figurines or German bisque Kaiser nude, dating back to the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

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ABOUT THE WORK
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Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Tower-Balance 5

135 H x 37 W cm,
Plinth 37 x 30 cm
Herend, Royal Stuart Harlequin, Wedgwood , Royal Albert and Winton Porcelain Roses, Jesmonite, White Base, Resin, 2024

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Tower-Balance 4

145cm H x 30 cm W
Wedgwood Tea Pot, Herend Milk Jug and Coffee Cups, Royal Stuart Tea Cups, Limoges Coffee Cup, Royal Albert Porcelain Roses Jesmonite Black Base, Porcelain Paint, Resin Coating, 2023


Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Coffee Table (CT1)

125 x 100 x 35 H cm
Antique and Vintage Porcelain Coffee Cups in Greens and Blues, Wedgwood, Worcester Antique 1917, Staffordshire 1950’s, Vintage Foley, Aynsley, Art Deco Crown Devon, Royal Albert, 2023

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Balancing Act Harlequin (B3)

Height 130 cm, Herend Coffee Pot, Royal Stuart Tea Cups, Royal Albert Porcelain Roses, Jesmonite White Base 2022

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Objet d’Amour (HR48)

54x52x30cm excluding Plinth, Emerald Green Vintage Porcelain,
Royal Stuart Spencer, Wedgwood.
White Stone Jesmonite Plinth, 2023

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Objet d’Amour (HR49)

54x52x30cm excluding Plinth, Purple and Lilac Vintage Porcelain,
Sevres, Royal Stuart Spencer, Wedgwood
White Stone Jesmonite Plinth, 2023

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Roses Are Forever (HR47)

60 H x 62 W x 38 D cm
Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Aynsley Rose PosyVintage Porcelain Jesmonite and Resin 2022

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Roses Are Forever (HR46)

35 H x 35 W x 23 D cm
Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Aynsley Rose PosyVintage Porcelain, Jesmonite and Resin, 2022


Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Die – Cast Car Sculpture (65)

120x80x10 cm, Framed in a Perspex Box.
Personalised Plates, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Mecedes, Bugatti, Ferrari, Jaguar, Bentley, Porsche, BMW, Rolls Royce.
2023

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Objet D’Amour H35

50x50x30D cm excluding Plinth Green Vintage Porcelain, White Stone Jesmonite Plinth, 2022

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Paisleys, Checks and Stripes in Gold (63)

120x120x20D cm | Fine Vintage Porcelain, Royal Albert, Wedgwood, Bavarian Schottenhof, Jesmonite on Painted Aluminium Panel with Perspex Box | 2021

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Gold and White, Tea Delight (59)

100x100x20Dcm | Royal Winton, Limoges Vintage Porcelain, Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | Commissioned by JR Art Consultants for the Londoner | 2020

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Gold and White, Tea Delight (60)

100x100x20Dcm | Royal Winton, Limoges Vintage Porcelain, Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | Commissioned by JR Art Consultants for the Londoner | 2020

Divine Imperfection (34)

100x100x25cm | Royal Stuart Spencer Stevenson Fine Bone Vintage Harlequin Porcelain. Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | Commissioned for a UK Collector | 2019

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Intimate Connection (35)

100x100x32Dcm
Turquoise, Blue Lomonosov Russian Porcelain Tea Ware
2018

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020
 
Getting Smashed (58)
 
80x80x20Dcm
Grey Goose Original Glass Bottles 2019

Harlequin Romance (57)

90x90x20Dcm | Royal Stuart Spencer Stevenson Fine Bone Vintage Harlequin Porcelain. Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel
and Perspex Box | Commissioned for a UK Collector | 2019

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Sunshine Bright (54)

50x50x25Dcm | Lomonosov, Royal Worcester Coffee Cups, Royal Stuart Spencer Stevenson Fine Bone Vintage Porcelain. Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | 2019

Celebration Of Love (50)

80x80x21Dcm | Lomonosov, Limoges and Royal Stuart Spencer Stevenson Fine Bone Vintage Porcelain. Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | 2019

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Truer Levels Of Love (51)

40x40x20D cm | Royal Stuart Spencer Stevenson Fine Bone Vintage Harlequin Porcelain. Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | 2019

All Loved Up (47)

50x50x25Dcm | Royal Stuart Stevenson, Vintage Fine Bone Porcelain China. Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | 2019

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, I Love You (46)

100x100x25Dcm | Royal Stuart Stevenson, Limoges and Russian Lomonosov Vintage Fine Bone Porcelain. Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | 2019

Invaded By Love (36)

90x90x32Dcm | Russian Lomonosov Vintage Porcelain, Royal Grafton, Royal Stuart Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | 2018

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Sparks of Joy (49)

50x50x20Dcm | Pink Royal Stuart Spencer, Pink Russian Lomonosov and Limoges Porcelain, Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | 2020

Shining Light 2019 (53)

90x90x25Dcm | Royal Winton Silver Vintage Porcelain and Limoges Fine China Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | 2019 | Specially Commissioned for London and India

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Finding my Balance (8)

40 Width x 110 Height cm | Gold, Pink, White and Black Stacked Coffee Pots and Roses Gold Bondware Bavarian Fine Bone Porcelain Coffee Pots, Royal Albert Porcelain Roses Painted in Gold and Resin | 2019

Raising the Barre (29)

92x92x34cm | Nao, LLadro Signed Porcelain Ballerinas | Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminum Panel | 2017

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Playful Rapture (8)

119x34x24cm | Harlequin Edwardian, Hamilton, Argyle and Tuscan Fine Bone China | Gold Pigment on Canvas Backed Board | 2014

Fantasy of Love (37)

140x70x26Dcm | Antique, Vintage and Contemporary Perfume Bottles, Crystal Glass, Silver. Chanel, Dior, Guerlain. Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | 2018

 

I Have A Little Crush – Cube 8

30 X 30 X 30 cm
Multi-coloured Vintage Art Deco 1930’s Vanity Sets White Stone Table Top Plinth and a Perspex Box 2018
 

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Fragments Of The Sky And The Sea (55)

130x90x10Dcm | Lomonosov, Royal Worcester Coffee Cups, Royal Stuart Spencer Stevenson Fine bone Vintage Porcelain. Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint, Aluminium Panel and Perspex Box | Specially Commissioned Work for Las Vegas USA | 2019

Precariously in Love (25)

150x65x40cm | Gold and Black 1940’s Art Nouveau and Royal Stuart Fine Bone China | Jesmonite, Gold Pigment on Aluminium Panel | 2016

 

‘I Have A Little Crush’ (5)

Sculpture 30cm Cubed | Black Vintage Wedgwood Jasperware Presented on a Table Top Plinth and a Perspex Cover 44cm Cubed | 2018

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

‘I Have A Little Crush’ (6)

Sculpture 30cm Cubed | Gold Lustre Vintage Porcelain Presented on a Table Top Plinth and a Perspex Cover 44cm Cubed | 2018

Confetti Carnival (10)

30 cm Diameter Plaque | Royal Stuart Spencer Stephenson Fine Bone Vintage Harlequin Porcelain | 2020

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Gold Plaque (P2)

30cm Dia | Royal Winton Fine Bone Vintage Gold Porcelain, Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint and Resin | 2020

Heart, Blue Wedgwood (H1)

22x22x10Dcm | Wedgwood Jasperware Vintage Porcelain, Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint | 2020

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Heart, Gold (H2)

22x22x10Dcm | Royal Winton Gold Vintage Porcelain, Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint | 2020

Roses Are Forever (R8)

35x35x18Dcm | Royal Doulton and Royal Albert, Posy Vintage Porcelain Roses, Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint and Resin | 2020

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Roses Are Forever (R7)

50cm Dia x 13Dcm | Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Aynsley Rose Posy Vintage Porcelain, Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint and Resin | 2020

Blue Roses, Flowers And Tea (RT11)

33x33x20Dcm | Royal Doulton, Royal Albert Roses, Royal Stuart Spencer Vintage Porcelain, Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint and Resin | 2020

 

Gold and White Tea Delight 59 Royal Winton Limoges Vintage Porcelain 2020

Pink Roses, Flowers And Tea (RT10)

33x33x20Dcm | Royal Albert Roses, Royal Stuart Spencer Vintage Porcelain, Jesmonite, Acrylic Paint and Resin | 2020

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