Metallic screen prints and collage

“Follow the Star” is a contemporary reimagining of an age-old symbol: the Three Wise Men.
The work springs from one of the artist’s insights: the Magi do not reach the stable and the divine through religion, but through science. These enigmatic figures—magicians, scholars, kings from the East—arrive in Bethlehem by following the stars, reading the sky and interpreting the message of the comet.

Date:

December 2024

Technique:

Metallic screen prints and collage

Edition:

9 subjects, 10 editions + 4 artist’s proofs

Acknowledgements:

Valerio Graziani

But who are the Three Wise Men today? Astronauts. Like the ancient travellers, they too scrutinise the universe in search of answers to humanity’s great questions: Where do we come from? Are we alone? Where are we going? Their journey, both symbolic and real, is a search for truth.

In this vision, astronauts riding camels move forward beneath an extraordinary celestial vault: an accurate reproduction of the sky visible from Bethlehem on the night of 25 December in the year -1. Created using scientific software, the star map shows exactly the stars that illuminated the stable that night.

The work consists of 9 unique collages, each produced in an edition of 10 pieces and 4 artist’s proofs. Created through a combination of screen printing, metal leaf, and cut-and-pasted printed elements, these works explore a technique that brings together artisanal precision and painterly depth. Each piece is unique, with variations that heighten the visual and narrative intensity of this modern “cosmic epiphany”.