Press Release
M - Museum, Leuven
28 November 2013 - 16 February 2014
Science and religion are often juxtaposed as two contradictory extremes.
The Space Age is an exhibition by Aleksandra Mir at M - Museum Leuven concentrating on the work about space exploration the artist has developed over the past 15 years, based on a number of historical events, such as the discovery of the laws of physics, the early experimental spaceship launches, and the first successful moon landing.
Mir’s public events, films and works on papers investigate the complex relationship between science and religion – an ambivalence underscored by her interplay of facts and fiction.
Space travel has been a recurring theme in Mir’s work since the very beginning of her career. She considers global events in popular culture such as the moon landing, the development of a mass aviation culture and the progress of various space programmes to have a great influence on how we live and perceive ourselves in the world.
Mir’s fictional narratives are both a celebration of these events and a questioning of their historical and social trajectories. Mir’s films are autonomous epilogues to her public performances where each refers to an ambitious historical narrative.
In her later film The Seduction of Galileo Galilei (2011) and in the series of collages The Dream and The Promise (2008-9), she underscores particular similarities between religion and science. Inspired by a quote by 16th century Italian scientist and philosopher Galileo Galilei, who conducted unprecedented scientific discoveries in physics, mathematics and astronomy, but who also declared ‘to have learned more through divine grace than through telescopes’ (Galileo Galilei, Letters).
This exhibition at M - Museum Leuven brings together for the very first time Mir’s early films First Woman on the Moon (1999), Gravity (2006) and The Seduction of Galileo Galilei (2011) with the series of collages The Dream and the Promise (2008-09) and the more recent work Satellite Crashes down in Porto Alegre, Brazil (2013).
One of Aleksandra Mir’s best-known works is First Woman on the Moon (1999). The film documents a staged event recreating a moon landscape and featuring a ‘landing’ ceremony on the beach in the Netherlands. Following President Kennedy’s call to put a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s, Mir started her mission to get a woman to the moon before the end of the millennium.
espite her limited means, she succesfully declared herself the first woman on the moon thirty years after the first moon landing. Assisted in this feat by the local population, dozens of volunteers and obliging sponsors, she was thus able to infiltrate the male-dominated history of space travel.
In 2006, Mir launched the sequel to her 1999 moon landing and started a new ambitious space travel project, the construction of a 22-metre-high rocket. With the help of technicians and engineers the rocket was built from waste materials such as steel, fibreglass, tractor tyres, industrial fans, etc.
To complete the whole composition, Mir adopted theatrical lighting and smoke machines evoking the NASA hangar at the Kennedy Space Centre. Mir documented the proceedings in her film Gravity.
For The Seduction of Galileo Galilei (2011), Mir was inspired by the story of Galileo throwing weights with different mass from the Tower of Pisa in order to provide evidence for ‘the law of falling bodies’.
The video documents Mir’s own battle with gravity as together with her crew and several professional crane operators, they stack car tyres as high as possible until the tower eventually tips over, falls and they start over again. These repeated attempts were undertaken over the course of one day.
For The Dream and the Promise (2008-2009) Mir presents a series of collages that connect religious iconography with images of space travel. Science and religion are often juxtaposed as two contradictory extremes.
However, Galileo Galilei, the father of modern science, was also a devout Catholic and thus his life work is evidence of the convergence between the two. In order to illustrate the relationship between science and faith, Mir reverts to images she found in two very different locations: the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and the Baroque churches of Sicily. She discovered that the iconography used by NASA and the Catholic Church has a lot in common.
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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 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 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 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 ·
Jesus Christ surrounded by a spectacular burst of rockets radiating outward like a halo of human striving — this is one of the most powerful images in the series, a Fine Art Print of 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 source is a large format 19th century French devotional lithograph with the text AIMEZ-VOUS LES UNS LES AUTRES (Love one another).
Into this solemn image Aleksandra Mir has collaged an explosion of rockets — many different types from different eras and nations, recognisably including Saturn V, Indian PSLV, and various missiles — launching, soaring and careening in every direction around the figure. Explosions of fire and exhaust clouds fill the background. Christ holds a rocket in one raised hand, imbuing the artwork with extraordinary compositional energy.
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.