About Natalia
‘Nine plate-like sculptures’ were inspired by a traditional Japanese form of art – Kintsugi which has become a reference point for my practice. Kintsugi is a very traditional art form that manifests by refining objects’ breakage instead of hiding them. The kintsugi master treats cracks with great respect. The breakage and repair became a remarkable component of an item’s past which creates its unique story. This technique is strongly connected to wabi sabi philosophy which simply states that we may find perfection inherent in every temporary, defective and imperfect part of our lives. My main goal was to contain the essence of this Japanese technique which is repair, while at the same time making an abstract sculptural structure closed in a minimalistic form. Also, I choose to replace precious gold with one of the most common material: plaster.
I made nine sculptures by breaking porcelain plates by dropping them on the floor or smashing them with a hammer and then placing the remaining in plaster. After the plaster has set it created unique forms that appear to me like a hybrid excrescence in the space between parts of the plate’s ‘body’. The shape of sculptures was determined by how many pieces a particular plate has left after the intentional damaging actions. Through the destruction of everyday use objects, I broke my relationship with the identity of the designer who I was trained to be and evaluate to designartist.
Nine plate-like sculptures, 2021 [plaster, porcelain]
