February 21, 2025
The making of The Vatican Artworks
The artworks Kristjana and the team created for the recent project with the Vatican Library took around 18 months to complete, from the start of the research stage to the final pinning and framing. Here we give you some behind the scenes insight to the making of the artworks.
Eight artworks were created for the 'En Route' exhibition, including a spectacular 3D original triptych. 'En Route' tells the tales of nineteenth century explorers, so travel is the predominant theme. Elements that represent, both literally and figuratively, the travels of the explorers, the places they visited and discoveries they made, all feature heavily.
The initial stage for Kristjana and the designers was a period of in-depth research about the travellers and their experiences and the search for the elements that will be used in the artworks. Kristjana was grated rare access to the Vatican Library’s vast archives of historic materials, and we have illustrated below how original engravings have been transformed to build the narrative. Once chosen, each element is scanned, cleaned, coloured and designed, combining Kristjana's trademark motifs - elements of nature, flora and fauna - and contrasting them with an element of the fantastical and mythical within the human-built world.
These elements are then placed, one by one, into the overall piece, using Kristjana's unique creative eye and experience. Throughout these initial stages, the team worked closely with the curators at the Vatican Library to ensure a shared vision. Once everyone was happy with the overall composition of the artworks, the elements are pinned by hand, a painstaking and delicate process, which in this case had to be done in situ in Rome, before being carried to the Vatican Library in time for the opening of the exhibition.
DISCOVER THE ARTWORKS
