2025
Size
- 175 – 210 cm high, 14 cm diameter sculpture, 60 – 75 cm base
Meterials
Reclaimed terracotta roof tiles, cogòlo (Venetian limestone), gold leaf tesserae, polychrome marble, porcelain stoneware, smalti, iron base
Mosaic surface, where fracture becomes narrative
Fragments of Belonging is a sculptural triptych that explores time as a spatial and material phenomenon. The three vertical columns — Past, Present, and Future — reflect different temporal states through contrasting textures and visual languages. Each sculpture embodies a specific notion of time: Past is layered, fragmented, and tactile; Present is coded, polarized, and unstable; Future is suspended, silent, and open to projection.
The triptych creates a dialogue between handcrafted tradition and advanced industrial surfaces. The primary substrate for Present and Future is full-bodied porcelain stoneware by Graniti Fiandre. These slabs feature chromatic continuity from surface to core, ensuring structural cohesion. Select elements incorporate ACTIVE SURFACES® – an innovative self-cleaning ceramic that neutralizes bacteria, viruses, and pollutants. In Past, Vera turns to salvaged terracotta roof tiles and cogòlo, a rare incompletely calcined limestone used solely in historical restoration. These choices bring fragility, porosity, and a layered tactile presence to the surface. The juxtaposition of hyper-technological purity and architectural debris deepens the work’s exploration of time: from enduring memory to engineered impermanence.
This body of work addresses themes of memory, fragmentation, continuity, and disappearance. Crafted with a deep sensitivity to material culture, each sculpture stands as a distinct temporal phase, yet together, they form a unified narrative, echoing the rhythm of belonging, erosion, and imagined continuity.
