Children of the stars
L'Espresso, Rome, March 2010
By Alessandra Mammì
Maybe it is [Aleksandra Mir]’s stateless glance (born in Poland, with Swedish and American citizenship and having lived between New York, London and Palermo) that allows her this creative strabismus, capable of wandering and unifying far images. Or perhaps it is an obsession that drives her searching for folkloric religious icons for months and years, to discover then that in this celestial world, the symbols are the same as the those for one who wants to reach the Moon. So, here are halos mixing with astronauts’ helmets, cherubs frolicking with rockets on the launching ramp, the dresses of angles merging with the suits of cosmic voyagers.
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Two astronauts with the faces of Mary and Jesus Chris. This striking Fine Art Print reproduces an original hand-cut antique paper collage by the artist Aleksandra Mir.
The cleverly constructed collage and its title plays on Grant Wood's iconic 1930 painting American Gothic — but instead of a stern farmer and his wife standing before a Gothic-style house, we have two figures in gleaming silver NASA spacesuits from the early space age (Gemini-era, circa 1960s). Inside the helmet visors, replacing the astronauts' faces, are collaged Renaissance portraits from devotional religious paintings — The Madonna and Jesus Christ.
Aleksandra Mir has transported Wood’s original farm worker and his wife from rural America into the space race, and replaced their very identities with Old World sacred imagery. It's a witty commentary on American ambition, technology as a new religion, and the collision of the sacred and the scientific.
Giclée pigment ink on Hahnemühle German Etching paper results in 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 Renaissance-style Madonna and her Child admire a Space Shuttle launch — the brilliant orange and red explosion of ignition filling the scene with light and fire. Remarkably, the Madonna's outstretched hand appears to be touching the shuttle, and the Christ child reaches toward the flames — as if blessing or directing the launch. This powerful Fine Art Print reproduces an original hand-cut antique 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 sleeping child of the title becomes the awakening of human technological ambition. The serene, monochrome devotional world of the engraving is violently and beautifully interrupted by colour, fire and modernity. The Madonna appears not alarmed but composed — as though she has always known this moment was coming.
Giclée pigment ink on Hahnemühle German Etching paper results in 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 ·
Space Art meets a Biblical theme with the Virgin Mary, the infant Christ and a gathering of devotees embraced and enchanted by all the planets in the solar system. This cosmic 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. A circular cut-out of a Renaissance-style painting floats among the planets as though it were simply another celestial body among equals with the infant Christ looking upward toward the planets as if seeing them for the first time. The composition plays with our sense of scale as the Moon dominates in magnificent close-up detail. The scene is humbling and exhilarating simultaneously.
Giclée pigment ink on Hahnemühle German Etching paper results in 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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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, 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.
Aleksandra Prints are museum-quality reproductions of original hand-cut antique paper collages by artist Aleksandra Mir.
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 an audience member who discovered the original artworks in an exhibition and asked for affordable reproductions.
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 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.
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're unable to accept returns. If anything arrives damaged, we'll 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.