grand Tour
Inspired by the tradition of the Grand Tour — the cultural journeys undertaken by young European aristocrats through Italy during the 17th and 18th centuries - this collection draws on the visual language of souvenirs, porcelain figurines, and decorative objects collected along the way.
Figures, animals and imagined characters emerge from a world where beauty, sentiment and ornament converge. Their forms borrow from the seductive qualities of historic porcelain traditions: glossy surfaces, heightened expressions, rich color, and an unapologetic embrace of visual pleasure.
Rather than functioning as collectibles or decorative keepsakes, these objects are translated back into sculpture. Hand-modelled, molded and cast in solid Jesmonite, they possess the weight and presence of sculptural forms while retaining the charm and intimacy of the objects that inspired them.
Hand Polished to a finish that moves between marble and porcelain, the works occupy a space between memory and invention, familiarity and fiction, inviting the viewer into a world shaped as much by desire and imagination as by history itself.
On the Technique
Each work begins with a hand-sculpted clay model, from which precise molds are created in plaster and silicone. Into these molds, Jesmonite — a polymer-based gypsum composite — is cast, carefully mixed with pigments so that the color emerges from the material itself rather than being applied externally. From the first gestures in clay to the final cast, each sculpture requires dozens of hours of meticulous handwork.
The surface is then refined through an intensive hand-polishing sequence: beginning with coarse sanding that opens the texture, moving through progressively finer abrasions, and culminating in a luminous finish with the depth and shine of marble.
By merging classical sculptural methods with contemporary materials, the works achieve both a timeless presence and a distinctly modern character.
