Heavenly inspirations
Corriere della Sera, Milan, May 2010
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.
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Aleksandra Prints are archival museum quality reproductions of originally hand-made collages.
The collages were created in the artist’s Palermo, Sicily studio in 2007-2009 and exhibited internationally in galleries and museums for the past two decades.
Today, most originals are part of private and permanent public collections.Aleksandra Prints started on the initiative of exhibition audience members who asked for affordable reproductions. These are now issued as Limited Editions.
A collage combines elements from different sources into a new image and physical reality.
The physical materials for the original collages were sourced from antique dealers and second-hand bookshops. As such, and although Aleksandra Prints are made new on fresh and intact high quality paper, all original features have been reproduced, adding to the aged hand-crafted look, including a visibly aged paper patina and the authentic wear and tear of the original.
Furthermore, in creating the collages, the artist sliced and tore through the source materials on purpose, leaving clear paper-cut marks that are also reproduced on the print.100% human-made. No AI was used in the creation of these artworks.
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Giclée print on Hahnemühle German Etching paper
The word Giclée (“g-clay”) is derived from the French verb gicler, meaning “to squirt or spray”. It is a process that uses high-resolution inkjet printers, pigment-based inks and acid free papers to achieve a superior quality print with exceptional detail, vibrant color accuracy, and long-term durability.
Hahnemühle German Etching is a traditional mould-made copperplate printing paper. The white art paper made from 100% alpha cellulose is characterized by its extraordinary velvety tactile feel and its fine, clearly defined felt structure. The unique surface texture adds a very special touch to images, showcasing them in all their splendour with impressive three-dimensional effect and depth. German Etching is acid- and lignin-free and meets the most exacting requirements in terms of age resistance.
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Aleksandra Prints come in three standard formats, Small, Medium and Large:
A4 (S) – 21 x 30cm / 8.3 x 11.7"
A3 (M) – 30 x 42cm / 11.7 x 16.5"
A2 (L) – 42 x 59cm / 16.5 x 23.4"Please note that each original collage was created in an unique format and the image areas within the prints therefore vary. They are surrounded by white space to create the uniform print formats: A2, A3 or A4.
You can keep the white space, extend it with a mat or crop it out when framing.
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Aleksandra Prints are only available on www.aleksandraprints.com
Each print comes with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity capped at 100/100.Your print is only authentic if you bought it here (or from someone who originally bought it here) together with the numbered Certificate of Authenticity.
We are able to track all edition numbers to their original buyers so to establish provenance.
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Aleksandra Prints does not offer framing but we recommend these three style options:
Minimalist – A ‘frameless’ clip frame in glass or acrylic in standard A4, A3 or A2 formats that match the prints sizes exactly. They are easily available in shops and can be ordered online.
Mediumalist – Adding a larger white or colored mat to extend the white space around the image area up to any preferred size. This framing method protects the print by allowing some air between print and glass. Select any custom-sized frame and profile from a framer of your choice.
Maximalist - New or Antique Gold, Bronze or Silver custom made frames with a different profile for each print. Visit a local framer to explore their profiles or source frames from markets and antique shops.
Please note that each original collage was created in an unique format and the image areas within the prints therefore vary. They are surrounded by white space to create the uniform print formats: A2, A3 or A4.
You can keep the white space, extend it with a mat or crop it out when framing.
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Aleksandra Prints offers FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE. Posted prices do not include local taxes, customs or import charges which are the responsibility of the purchaser.
Aleksandra Prints are produced in the UK, Germany and USA. Your print will be shipped from the nearest location for the most cost-effective and ECO-friendly solution.
Format A4 and A3 are shipped flat. Format A2 is shipped rolled in a tube. Our packaging is made of renewable and recycled materials and our delivery is 100% carbon neutral.We use a mix of shipping carriers (Royal Mail, DHL, UPS, USPS, DHL Paket, Warenpost) to ensure your orders arrives fast and safely.
Delivery Days on a best endeavour basis:
United Kingdom 6 – 10
Europe 6 – 10
United States 6 – 10
Canada 6 – 10
Rest of World 6 – 15
Damage and significant delaysIn the unlikely event the print arrives to you damaged, we will send a replacement free of charge. To arrange this please contact us at hello[at]aleksandraprints[dot]com with photos of the damaged print and its packaging.
We only offer replacement prints if the product arrives damaged or is significantly delayed (postage delays which could be considered normal, or delays due to items being held up in customs will not be refunded). What constitutes a significant time delay is at our discretion.
In either case we may request return of the print so that we can dispose of it. The returns will be at our cost, and replacements can be withheld until the returns are received by us.
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All orders are final – Sorry, no Returns. Fine Art Prints are fragile and do not benefit from excessive handling.
We produce and number each print as your order is received, which does not allow for returns or cancellations.
Please make sure to commit to an image and double-check the size before ordering.
We value your custom and thank you for your understanding and cooperation.Damage and significant delays
In the unlikely event the print arrives to you damaged, we will send a replacement free of charge. To arrange this please contact us at hello[at]aleksandraprints[dot]com with photos of the damaged print and its packaging.
We only offer replacement prints if the product arrives damaged or is significantly delayed (postage delays which could be considered normal, or delays due to items being held up in customs will not be refunded). What constitutes a significant time delay is at our discretion.
In either case we may request return of the print so that we can dispose of it. The returns will be at our cost, and replacements can be withheld until the returns are received by us. -
Aleksandra Prints are produced in several print facilities distributed between the UK, Europe and the USA, which means we can reduce air travel when shipping your orders.
The print facilities are 100% carbon neutral, which means they minimise energy usage, use renewables, and offset the remaining emissions by investing in renewable energy projects.
Our paper manufacturers only use resources from sustainable forest management areas. This programme ensures the preservation and protection of biodiversity, the renewal of the forests habitats and decreasing of the impacts of exploitation of forest areas for future generations.
All the packaging used for our customer orders are a mixture of sustainably sourced, recyclable or biodegradable materials.