Sandra Shashou

Sparks of Joy 49 (Ceramic)

2019

Sandra Shashou’s ‘Broken’ sculptures are not inspired by nature or the human form, she draws her inspiration from her experience of life as a woman. Porcelain has become her signature sculpting material, her trademark. Growing up in Brazil she was surrounded by beautiful household antique ceramics and glass ornaments that belonged to her mother, such as Sèvres and Limoges, Galle vases, Lalique crystal, she developed an eye and appreciation for these collectable treasures. The brutal destruction of these precious objects, desecrated beyond repair, implies tragedy, but the reassembled artwork suggests it has taken on a new form and is reborn. As a philosophy Shashou treats breakage and fractures are part of the chance and fate of human life, part of our personal history, not something to disguise. ‘Broken’ references bravery, courage and rebuilding after devastation. Shashou was born in Rio de Janeiro, and in the year 2000 studied at City & Guilds of London Art School, where she earned her BA (Hons) in Painting. After her graduation she had portraits commissioned by several prominent British intellectuals and politicians, and in the years following her studies largely established her reputation as a painter. In 2013, her practice took a major turn into sculpture. Using her signature material, smashed fine china, she began to produce a series of focused and intensely personal works that reflect the resilience, fragility, and undiminished courage that are the true conditions of love. In recent years Shashou has exhibited in London, Paris, Beirut, Geneva, Gstaad, St Tropez, Dallas, Miami, NYC, and Venice. She has been shown in Art Elysees, Art Beirut, Art Palm Beach, Art Miami, Art Southampton NY, Armoury Antiques NY, Art15 Olympia London, Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips, and has been commissioned for site-specific public sculptures in the US, EU, and UK. Her work has been collected in several important private collections.