Santiago de Borja: Where Art Becomes Object and Desire Finds Form

There’s something quietly radical about bringing art down from the walls and into your home — especially when it carries the memory of the Amazon and the vibrancy of feminine form. That’s exactly what the Belgian-Peruvian artist Shirley Villavicencio Pizango has done in her latest collaboration with Belgian design house Serax, introducing Santiago de Borja — a striking collection of hand-painted ceramics that feels as intimate as it is evocative.

Named after the village in the Peruvian Amazon where Shirley spent her childhood holidays — and where her family still lives — Santiago de Borja is more than a collection. It’s a portal into her world: wild, soulful, and radiant with color.

I chose that name because it feels like people are entering my world through this collection.

Known for her powerful portraits marked by bold lines, flattened perspectives, and lush color fields, Shirley paints people she knows — friends, lovers, family — always surrounded by curious, sensuous vases. Now, those once-imaginary ceramics have been brought to life, lovingly sculpted and painted into reality.

Each piece — from the round, womb-like Cocona to the elegantly elongated Pijauyo — carries the same tactile rawness that defines Shirley’s visual language. The lines aren’t perfect, the shapes aren’t symmetrical — but they feel undeniably human.

Some vases were quite difficult to make. They’re not exactly logical in form. But that’s what I love

And that’s the beauty of it. These pieces don’t aspire to symmetry — they embrace sensuality. Each curve and brushstroke resists perfection, echoing the organic, layered nature of femininity, of the tropics, of memory. The result? Objects that don’t just sit in a room — they shift its energy.

There’s also something refreshingly honest about Shirley’s view on accessibility.

I often think about how much I’d love to own a work from a certain artist, but can’t afford it. When an accessible object is released, I can still own something from that artist.

With Santiago de Borja, she offers just that: authenticity without elitism. Emotion without artifice. A way to collect beauty that’s both tactile and intimate.

These pieces are not here to impress — they’re here to connect. They carry memory, they invite touch, and they remind us that sometimes, the most meaningful design doesn’t ask to be understood — only felt.

So go ahead: make space for something messy, colorful, and a little wild. Bring Shirley home.

Santiago de Borja by Shirley Villavicencio Pizango
 Produced by Serax
Available at: serax.com

From €95 to €290 — each piece hand-painted, each one unique.