MIAMI, FLA.- At Art Miami 2026, the artist's acclaimed Fragmented series transforms discarded porcelain into intricate imagined worlds, while his smaller-scale works and Service series reveal the breadth of his practice.

Rob Strati transforms fragments of antique and vintage porcelain into intricate works of art, drawing beyond the original designs to create scenes that seem to spill off the plate and onto the page. Ships, figures, animals, landscapes and surreal details emerge from the patterns and edges of the broken china, turning what might otherwise be discarded into something unexpected.

Through his acclaimed Fragmented series, Strati blurs the line between sculpture, drawing and storytelling. The porcelain isn't repaired or concealed. Its cracks, edges and missing pieces become essential to the finished work, with the original decorative patterns serving as the starting point for an entirely new composition. The result is a collaboration between the artist and the object itself, with each fragment offering its own visual clues and possibilities.



The series began with a broken plate that belonged to Strati's wife Jocelyn's late mother, Barbara. After the plate accidentally shattered, a large fragment remained on their kitchen island. Strati initially noticed what appeared to be a blue-and-white geometric pattern, but on closer inspection, he began to recognize figures and birds within the design. He imagined a world extending beyond the fragment and began drawing. What started as a personal experiment, which he describes as a love letter to Barbara and Jocelyn, eventually developed into an expansive body of work.

Rather than attempting to restore the plate to its original condition, Strati found inspiration in its imperfections. He works directly from the existing decorative motifs, allowing the imagery to suggest what might come next. A ship might emerge from a pattern, a landscape might extend beyond the original border, or an entirely new scene might develop around a missing piece. Each work begins with something that already has a history, but its final story is left to the artist's imagination.



A World in Miniature

Strati has also explored the Fragmented series on a smaller scale, creating miniature compositions that retain the intricate detail and imaginative storytelling found throughout his larger works. Some incorporate fragments of miniature dollhouse plates, while others use pieces of antique and vintage porcelain, allowing him to explore the possibilities of the series across different sizes and formats.

Works such as Fisherman with Nets and Windmill, Fragmented in Blue with Temples and Balloons and Sailing Ships with Gulls and Anchor measure just a few inches across, yet contain remarkably detailed scenes. Windmills, sailing ships, architecture and other unexpected elements emerge from the original decorative patterns, inviting viewers to look more closely at the relationship between the porcelain and the world Strati builds around it.



The smaller scale creates a more intimate viewing experience, encouraging an appreciation of the precision involved in each composition. Whether working with a fragment measuring just a few inches or a much larger piece, Strati approaches each work with the same curiosity, allowing the original object to guide the story that unfolds.

The contrast between scale and detail has become another dimension of his practice. His 2025 exhibition Miniatures & Monuments at Fremin Gallery brought smaller compositions into conversation with larger works, highlighting how the same visual language can take shape across very different formats.



From Personal Stories to American History

While Fragmented often draws viewers into imagined landscapes and narratives, Strati's Service series takes a more direct approach to history and cultural identity. Working with broken American porcelain, he incorporates imagery connected to the country's civic traditions, institutions and national symbols, examining the ideals and contradictions embedded in American history.

Works including We the People, A More Perfect Union, The Oath and Reflecting invite viewers to reconsider familiar symbols and the stories attached to them. Rather than treating these images as fixed representations, Strati uses them as starting points for questions about national identity, public service, equality and the ongoing relationship between American ideals and lived experience.



The series also incorporates an unusual pricing concept: the prices of individual works correspond to historically significant years connected to their subject matter. For example, In Theory and Practice references 1787, when the Constitutional Convention took place, and the tension between the ideals of liberty and their historical application. Reflecting references 1923, the year the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was completed, a site that would later become associated with protest, remembrance and the pursuit of equality.

In Men and Mountains, the price references 1948, when work on the Crazy Horse Memorial began, connecting the piece to broader questions surrounding American history, cultural memory and unfinished struggles. Meanwhile, Souvenir references 2025, reflecting a period of government agency and department closures and raising questions about the fragility of civic service and public trust.



Through these works, Strati moves beyond the visual transformation that defines Fragmented to consider how objects and symbols carry meaning across generations. Both bodies of work share an interest in history, preservation and the way familiar things can be reconsidered through a different lens.

A New Presentation at Art Miami

Fremin Gallery will present works from Strati's Fragmented series at Art Miami 2026, offering collectors and visitors an opportunity to experience his detailed, monochromatic compositions up close. The presentation will also feature a dedicated wall of his miniature works, showcasing the range of scale and detail within the series. Displayed alongside larger compositions, the smaller pieces offer a different perspective on Strati's process and the imaginative possibilities contained within each fragment. The presentation will be located at Booth AM 134.



Across both Fragmented and Service, Strati's work returns to a recurring idea: that objects are rarely defined solely by their present condition. A broken plate can become the foundation for an entirely new landscape, while a familiar national symbol can invite a fresh examination of the history and ideals it represents.

Rather than hiding the fractures or erasing the past, Strati makes them part of the story. His work asks viewers to look again at what might otherwise be overlooked and consider what new meaning can emerge when something is seen from a different perspective.