A small step for a woman
De Standaard
Brussels, 5 Dec 2013
“The collages were not created with Photoshop, but rather using the old cut-and-paste technique that the Dadaists were so fond of. The works were covered with gold leaf, referring to icons”
By Sam Steverlynck
Forty years after it happened, the moon landing still captures the imagination, including that of artist Aleksandra Mir. At Museum M, she shows what NASA and Christian icons have in common.
A date that may not mean anything to you, but is nevertheless of historical importance: August 28, 1999. It is the day on which the first woman set foot on the moon. At least, in the video First Woman on the Moon by Aleksandra Mir, a Swedish-American artist with Polish roots.
In the video, you see a family, including a naked toddler, looking up in amazement at construction cranes dumping mountains of sand on the beach at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands: a fictional lunar landscape. In the background, you hear John F. Kennedy and commentators from 1969 describing Armstrong's moon landing while beachgoers stretch out and enjoy the sun.
Once the cranes have finished, the artist plants the American flag in a mountain of sand – in the background, the legendary words echo: “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Mir's video is a re-enactment of the moon landing, but with a playful, feminist twist. The video plays with the way that event was portrayed by the media – and, according to some, even staged.
First Woman on the Moon is one of Aleksandra Mir's best-known works, and therefore could not be left out of the small but coherent exhibition that M Leuven is now dedicating to her. All the works in the exhibition are about space travel.
“But I'm not a science fiction freak,” Mir says immediately, “I see space travel as a metaphor for life and our stubbornness in wanting to overcome the laws of gravity.”
Jesus on the Moon
This is particularly evident in The Seduction of Galileo Galilei. In this video, cranes are used to stack as many car tires as possible on top of each other. A mundane task that is given the air of a heroic deed by the bombastic soundtrack. The tires keep falling over, dooming the attempt to reach the heavens to failure. Or how the myths of Sisyphus and Icarus come together.
In addition to videos, Mir also displays an old print of the Saint Bernardus van Clairvaux praying to a rising rocket, a priest anointing another rocket, and Jesus on the Moon. The collages were not created with Photoshop, but rather using the old cut-and-paste technique that the Dadaists were so fond of. The works were covered with gold leaf, referring to icons.
”I found many old religious prints in Sicily,” says the artist. “I also visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. And suddenly, I saw the strange similarity between the Christian iconography and those NASA images: Similar gazes toward the sky, gazes that express hope, fear, and admiration.” So, Mir brought both worlds together. “If Angels and astronauts share the same sky, isn’t it time they were introduced?”
The whole exhibition is interspersed with enlarged and manipulated front pages of newspapers, from the New York Times to Die Welt. They are characteristic of the way Mir exaggerates the contrast between reality and fiction. And, incidentally, pokes fun at the media.
Build Your Collection
The Madonna dressed in richly coloured robes is holding her Child with the face of the planet Saturn. This tender Fine Art Print reproduces an original hand-cut paper collage by the artist Aleksandra Mir.
The restraint of the intervention — one perfectly placed astronomical image doing all the work — shows a very assured artistic hand. The halos that would traditionally crown both mother and child in a Madonna and Child composition have been replaced with a single image of Saturn and its rings, positioned so the planet rings encircle both their heads simultaneously like a shared crown.
The new artwork combines source materials from antique religious and modern scientific imagery into a new physical and fantastical reality that is deeply moving. The rings of Saturn — one of the most awe-inspiring sights in astronomy — become an emblem of the bond between mother and child. The infinite and the intimate held in the same frame. The worn, cracked paper grounds it in time and mortality, while Saturn speaks of cosmic permanence.
Giclée pigment ink on Hahnemühle German Etching paper achieves a superior quality print with exceptional detail, vibrant color accuracy, and long-term durability. The fresh print reproduces an aged authentic patina and the imprint of the artist’s hand-crafted marks.
· Archival Museum Quality ·
· Limited Edition. 100 ·
· Certificate of Authenticity ·
· Hand & Human-Made without AI ·
· 100% Carbon Neutral ·
· Free Worldwide Shipping ·
A cluster of cherubs — putti, the chubby winged angels drawn from Renaissance and Baroque painting — surround an outer space rocket. Together they are launched into the blue heavens or perhaps all the way to outer space. This joyful Fine Art Print reproduces an original hand-cut paper collage by the artist Aleksandra Mir.
The new artwork combines source materials from antique religious and modern scientific imagery into a new physical and fantastical reality.
The cherubs, traditionally symbols of the divine and heavenly aspiration, have transferred their devotion from the sacred to the technological. The rocket becomes the new object of veneration — humanity's collective dream made metal. The old world meets the new in an incongruous but tender embrace.
Giclée pigment ink on Hahnemühle German Etching paper achieves a superior quality print with exceptional detail, vibrant color accuracy, and long-term durability. The fresh print reproduces an aged authentic patina and the imprint of the artist’s hand-crafted marks.
· Archival Museum Quality ·
· Limited Edition. 100 ·
· Certificate of Authenticity ·
· Hand & Human-Made without AI ·
· 100% Carbon Neutral ·
· Free Worldwide Shipping ·
Jesus Christ surrounded by a spectacular burst of rockets radiating outward like a halo of human striving — a Fine Art Print of an original hand-cut paper collage by Aleksandra Mir.
The new artwork combines source materials from antique religious and modern scientific imagery into a new fantastical reality. The source is a large format 19th century French devotional lithograph with the text AIMEZ-VOUS LES UNS LES AUTRES (Love one another).
Into this devotional image Aleksandra Mir has collaged an explosion of rockets — many different types from different eras and nations, recognisably including Saturn among them Saturn V, Indian PSLV, and various missiles — launching, soaring, and careening through clouds of fire and exhaust. Christ holds a rocket in one raised hand, imbuing the artwork with extraordinary compositional energy.
Giclée pigment ink on Hahnemühle German Etching paper achieves a superior quality print with exceptional detail, vibrant color accuracy, and long-term durability. The fresh print reproduces an aged authentic patina and the imprint of the artist’s hand-crafted marks.
· Archival Museum Quality ·
· Limited Edition. 100 ·
· Certificate of Authenticity ·
· Hand & Human-Made without AI ·
· 100% Carbon Neutral ·
· Free Worldwide Shipping ·
Frequently Asked Questions
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Aleksandra Prints are museum-quality reproductions of original hand-cut antique paper collages by artist Aleksandra Mir, created in her Palermo, Sicily studio in 2007–2009 and exhibited internationally for two decades.
Aleksandra Prints started on the initiative of an audience member who discovered the original artworks in an exhibition and asked for affordable reproductions.
What is a collage?
A collage combines elements from different sources into a new image and physical reality.
The materials for these collages were sourced from antique dealers and second-hand bookshops. As such, the fresh print reproduces a patina with authentic wear and tear.
Furthermore, in creating the collages, the artist sliced and tore through the source materials leaving the imprint of her hand-crafted marks.100% human-made. No AI was used in the creation of these artworks.
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Giclée print on Hahnemühle German Etching paper
Giclée (pronounced "g-clay") comes from the French gicler — "to spray." The process uses high-resolution inkjet printing, pigment-based inks and acid free papers to deliver a superior quality print with exceptional detail, vibrant colour accuracy, and lasting durability.
Hahnemühle German Etching is a traditional mould-made copperplate paper. Crafted from 100% alpha cellulose, it has a distinctively velvety feel and fine felt texture that brings images to life with a striking three-dimensional depth. Acid- and lignin-free, it meets the highest standards 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 a unique format and the image areas within the prints therefore slightly vary. The image areas 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 from this website, www.aleksandraprints.com
Each print comes with a signed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity that holds a 3D embossing.
We are able to confirm the first sale provenance of every print.
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Aleksandra Prints does not offer framing because shipping artwork behind glass is both risky and expensive. It is much better to have your print framed closer to home.
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. These type of frames 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.
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Aleksandra Prints offers FREE shipping worldwide.
Our prints are produced in and shipped from the United Kingdom by Royal Mail.
Production & Delivery:
(UK) 7 days
(EU/USA) 14 days
(Rest of the World) Pending Location.
Tracking: All orders are dispatched within 48 hours. As soon as a print is shipped you will receive an email with tracking details for your order.Customs Fees & Taxes:
UK orders: No VAT.
USA orders: No sales tax or tariffs.EU orders may be subject to local import VAT and a small customs handling fee payable on delivery. These charges are set by your country’s customs/courier and are not collected by us. The commodity code 4911 91 00 refers to pictures under the category of printed matter with a charge that can vary between ~7–27% of the order value. Please refer to your local customs office for the exact rate.
Some countries — including Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, South Africa, Chile, Mexico, and others — may charge import duties, VAT, or customs clearance fees. These are not included in your payment and must be paid by the recipient upon delivery.
Contact us
Here to help and to answer your questions! -
Return Policy
All sales are final. Each print is made to order and numbered exclusively for you, so we are unable to accept returns. But if anything arrives damaged, we will make it right.We 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).
Significant Delays
Although most orders arrive without any issue, some can be delayed. We will do our best to help find out what the issue is, but only after these times have passed can we make a claim with Royal Mail for loss and offer a replacement:
UK: 10 days
Europe: 25 days
Rest of the World: 32 daysDamaged prints
In the unlikely event the print arrives to you damaged, we will send a replacement free of charge. To arrange this please contact us within max 2 days with photos of the damaged print and its packaging.
We value your custom and thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
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Aleksandra Prints are produced in the UK by a small 100% carbon neutral print facility, which means they minimise energy usage, use renewables, and offset the remaining emissions by investing in renewable energy projects.
Our paper manufacturer 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.