‘Flower Power: Rosa’, kintsugi portrait sculpture by Billie Bond

This elegant figurative ceramic by the contemporary artist Billie Bond explores notions of trauma and healing, pairing the ancient Japanese practice of Kintsugi with floral porcelain additions, which appear to emerge from the cracks in the sculpture.

This work forms part of a conversational pair, entitled ‘Flower Power’. This bust, entitled ‘Flora’, casts a classically posed female bust in pale glazed stoneware. After firing, the sculpture is intentionally dropped from a height, fracturing the ceramic into hundreds of pieces. The kintsugi (Japanese, 金継ぎ, "golden joinery") practice then comes into play, as Bond pieces the sculpture back together with a lacquer and powdered gold mix. As a philosophy, kintsugi aims to honour breakage as part of the history of an object. By employing the practice for her figurative ceramics, Bond aims to explore the process of healing from psychological trauma.

Emerging from the gold-filled cracks are several porcelain flower fragments, which are reclaimed from traditional 19th and 20th century porcelainware. By adding these colourful fragments, Bond not only imbues her contemporary sculpture with the history of the craft but also evokes the idea of the healing powers of nature.

The classicism of the piece is enhanced by the traditional plinth support. Cast from Jesmonite, the plinth is treated with a marble glaze that perfectly complements the tones of the stoneware above.

After 20 years of experience designing children’s furniture and interiors, Billie Bond completed an MA in Sculptural Practice in 2016. In 2018, she was selected as a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors, and in 2021 was selected as a member of the Society of Portrait Sculptors. Her figurative sculptures are now held in public and private collections around the world.

Bond writes of her Kintsugi work: “The rendering of realism is a craft, the art begins when I destroy it”.

This truly stunning portrait sculpture effortlessly combines ancient traditions with modern innovations. View the other sculpture in the pair here.