Heavenly inspirations

By Alessandra Borghese

A stone's throw from the famous Quattro Canti intersection in Palermo, at number 293 Corso Vittorio Emanuele, lies Pantaleone, a historic shop selling religious articles, furnishings, and vestments. It is perhaps the largest Italian shop in this sector.

This place was a source of artistic inspiration for Aleksandra Mir, an artist of Polish origin who lived first in Sweden and New York before settling in Palermo. Mir was attracted by the popular culture of the religious objects displayed by Pantaleone, which she believes unequivocally recount the traditions of our country and our faith.

The shop and its warehouse were used by the artist as a veritable visual library of a popular faith that is still very much alive. This gave rise to her recent exhibition in Rome, The Dream and the Promise, with collages made from Pantaleone's old religious prints, where sacred figures meet spatial objects. For Mir, there is a special and common liturgy in the heavens, made up of universal symbols.