Porcelain is strong, it can last forever if handled with care. When I hold an actual porcelain object, my hands will tremble slightly with anxiety. Regardless of its market value, I develop a fear of dropping it, breaking it and exposing the paradox of its strong yet fragile nature. Porcelain is almost a form of glass; it looks different under different skies, in different interiors. Its emotional significance will differ for each new person who possesses it. Esther Martens paints figures mantled in porcelain that she collects at flea markets and sources from auction websites, in an attempt to understand the fetishized presence and aura rooted rooted in the commodity. Through the process of translating the 3D object into the two-dimensional realm of painting, the memories imbued in the figure are lost and recalibrated for her into a new emotional value.