Sandra Lane: ‘La Musée de Mme. Rocaille’

Sandra Lane: ‘Lookers’, cast modelling foam, 2022

Sandra Lane: Musée de Mme. Rocaille in Small House Galleries One and Two from December 2023 through January 2024

Sandra Lane is a London-based artist who works across media such as ceramics, plaster, paper, steel, and found materials. Recently she has also made sculpture that you can wear and sculptures you can eat. Her work explores gender, identity, memory and the absurd, to build installations of multiple hand-made forms. Sandra graduated from MFA Sculpture at the Slade School of Art in 2017 and has a BA in Fine Art Drawing from Camberwell in 2013 where she received the Camberwell/Acme award*. Amongst recent shows Sandra showed her Courgette Shoes** in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022 and showed work in jointly curated Blush*** at ASC Gallery in July/August 2022.

In the doorway SH2: Sandra Lane’s ‘Cone’, polystyrene, plaster and spray paint; in the window SH2: Sandra Lane’s ‘Latex Pokers’, cast latex, 2022

(above 3 photos E.D.)

In her ‘La Musée de Mme Rocaille’ exhibition, Sandra Lane responds to the Houses as psychological spaces, museums of the lives of the people who lived in them. Madame Rocaille, its mistress, takes her name from the french word for Rococo, meaning small rocks; it’s also the name of the shell-lined grottos Rococo folk liked to frolic in. The houses reflect the Rococo in its romantic colours and nature-inspired themes. So far so normal. In House I and House II, facial features and limbs are dislocated and scattered. Haberdashery and mouldings prowl the rooms of boulders, crushed plaster and quilted bolsters bursting with powder paint; while extruded clay slug pets snooze on quilts.

(ALL PHOTOS BY THE ARTIST SANDRA LANE, unless initialled E.D.

Copyrights reserved by Sandra Lane & Eldi Dundee, Small House Gallery, 2022)

SMALLER HOUSE (Small House Gallery One)

LOFT left: ‘Le Nez‘ (paper, modelling foam, Modroc, paint) – above photo: E.D.

LOFT right: ‘Legfeet‘ (wire, fur fabric, modeling foam, thread)

LOFT (SMALL HOUSE GALLERY ONE)
left: ‘Le Nez‘ (paper, modelling foam, Modroc, paint)
right: ‘Legfeet‘ (wire, fur fabric, modeling foam, thread)

MIDDLE FLOOR (SMALL HOUSE GALLERY ONE)
left: Glazed ceramic ‘icing’ on the left wall; Paper and paint wall painting; Paper and plaster ‘rock’; Quilted muslin and powder paint ‘bolster’; Painted string ‘Wraith‘
right: Glazed ceramic ‘slug’; Paper and plaster ‘tree stump’; Glazed ceramic ‘Eye Flowers‘

MIDDLE FLOOR – Painted string ‘Wraith‘; Glazed ceramic ‘slug’; Paper and plaster ‘tree stump’; Glazed ceramic ‘Eye Flowers

MIDDLE FLOOR – ‘Legfeet‘ (wire, fur fabric, modeling foam, thread); Glazed ceramic ‘icing’ on the left wall; Paper and paint wall painting; Paper and plaster ‘rock’; Quilted muslin and powder paint ‘bolster’; Painted string ‘Wraith‘

MIDDLE FLOOR – Glazed ceramic ‘slug’; Paper and plaster ‘tree stump’; Glazed ceramic ‘Eye Flowers

(above photo by E.D.)

MIDDLE FLOOR left/outer wall: Extruded stained porcelain ‘ribbon’

GROUND FLOOR doorway/outer wall: ‘Twister‘ (silicone tube, wire)

GROUND FLOOR (SMALL HOUSE GALLERY ONE)
left: ‘Boulder‘ (paper, Modroc)
right: Assemblage of plaster, modelling foam and sheep’s fleece with mini LED light
both sides: ‘Wall paintings’, acrylic paint

(above photo by E.D.)

LARGER HOUSE (Small House Two)

ROOF (SH2)
left: (on chimney) ‘Paint Skin‘ (paint, latex)

below:
ROOF & LOFT (SH2)
top left: (on chimney) ‘Paint Skin‘ (paint, latex); top right: ‘Rumble‘ (polystyrene, plaster, spray paint)
rear left: Muslin quilted ‘bolster’; front left: Silk fringe trim ‘Wraith‘; centre: ‘Left Eye‘ (wire, paper, Modroc, paint)
rear: (in stairwell, creeping down the stairs) Modelling foam ‘wall moulding’; right: Spray painted plastic with LED mini bulb; Glazed ceramic ‘squeeze’

above:
FIRST FLOOR (SH2)
left to right: ‘Lips‘ (paper, Modroc, modelling foam, paint); Wall drawing, acrylic paint
right: ‘Right Eye‘ (paper, Modroc, modelling foam, paint); ‘Wall moulding’, modelling foam; Glazed ceramic ‘rococo wall plaques’

above:
UPPER GROUND FLOOR (SH2)
left: ‘Rococo Tree‘ (plaster, foam, wire, polystyrene); left front: ‘Quilted bolster’, muslin, powder paint; ‘Boulder’, paper, plaster,
Modroc; rear: ‘Wall painting’, acrylic paint; ‘Mme. Rocaille‘ (Modroc, paper, paint, wire)
stairs: Glazed terracotta ‘shoes’
right: ‘Armhands‘ (wire, fur fabric, modelling foam); Glazed ceramic ‘wall sequins’

above: ‘Rococo Tree‘ (plaster, foam, wire, polystyrene); ‘Wall painting’, acrylic paint; ‘Mme. Rocaille‘ (Modroc, paper, paint, wire); ‘Chaise Longue’ (quilted ‘bolster’, muslin, powder paint laid over ‘Boulder’ – paper, plaster, Modroc)
below: (on stairs) Glazed terracotta ‘shoes’; (filling room) ‘Armhands‘ (wire, fur fabric, modelling foam); (on wall) Glazed ceramic ‘wall sequins’

below:
UPPER GROUND FLOOR (SH2)
left: ‘Rococo Tree‘ (plaster, foam, wire, polystyrene); ‘Quilted bolster’, muslin, powder paint; ‘Boulder’, paper, plaster, Modroc; ‘Wall painting’, acrylic paint; ‘Mme. Rocaille‘ (Modroc, paper, paint, wire)
stairs: Glazed terracotta ‘shoes’
right: ‘Armhands‘ (wire, fur fabric, modelling foam); Glazed ceramic ‘wall sequins’
window: ‘LatexPokers‘

above:
LOWER GROUND FLOOR (SH2)
left: Faux fur fabric; Glazed extruded porcelain shape; Cast latex shapes; paint; ‘Cat doll’, wire, paper, paint, ink
right: ‘Amandine‘ (Modroc, paper, wire, paint); Extruded stained porcelain wreath; Quilted muslin bolster; Extruded ceramic slug pet; Silk fringe trim wall hanging

above: Faux fur fabric; Glazed extruded porcelain shape; Cast latex shapes; paint; ‘Cat doll’, wire, paper, paint, ink

below: Same, but without the ‘Cat doll’

below: ‘Amandine‘ (Modroc, paper, wire, paint); Extruded stained porcelain ‘wreath’; Quilted muslin ‘bolster’, powder paint; Extruded ceramic ‘slug pet’; Silk fringe trim ‘wall hanging’