D'ORO D'ART
THE WIZARD
50.000,00 €
The Wizard – Silence and Wonder
Dressed in the attire of a 16th-century nobleman, The Wizard—a character conceived by artist Federico Solmi for the The Grand Voyage project—ascends into an ethereal dimension through the rediscovery of spontaneity.
In his visionary world, Solmi weaves together inner complexity and emotional intimacy in constant dialogue with his surroundings, turning the everyday into a surreal whirlwind that blurs the boundaries between reality and contemplation.
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e-mail: info@dorocollection.com
phone: +39.349.74.12.852
The Wizard, created by Federico Solmi for the trilogy The Grand Voyage, is a visual portrait that explores spirituality and detachment from the material world.
This artist’s video work merges contemporary art, technology, and narrative into a hand-crafted sculptural book by D’ORO Collection, complete with an integrated screen that activates automatically upon opening.
The animation begins with a figure immersed in a metaphysical landscape, far removed from urban chaos—a space where time feels suspended.
Enveloped in a hushed, rarefied atmosphere, The Wizard moves through a universe inspired by the aesthetic of retro video games and vintage arcades, surrounded by surreal mountains and infinite space. The scene evokes otherworldly wonder and invites the viewer to contemplate the essential.
At the heart of this imaginary world, The Wizard appears as a serene and detached man who renounces power and wealth to rediscover himself through communion with the living being closest to him: a small poodle.
This presence—tender and symbolic—becomes the centre of a silent bond that conveys intimacy, connection, and existential contemplation.
With his unmistakable style, Solmi delivers a vibrant vision of The Wizard: a solitary soul, yet never alone, capable of finding refuge and truth in a dimension beyond the visible.
The book is an inseparable part of the artwork: a technological and artisanal reliquary, combining hand-bound covers and golden frames, original painting, and a built-in LCD screen designed to endure over time. The video activates through invisible sensors and remains in sync with the act of opening and closing the book.
Each D’ORO D’ART volume is a unique creation: Solmi’s editions feature two gold covers and an original front painting by the artist himself—a dual creative gesture uniting the materiality of painting with the expression of video, merging the tactile and the digital imaginary.
The Grand Voyage comprises three distinct works: The Goddess, The Wizard, and The Wanderer.
In each, Solmi crafts hybrid characters dressed in costumes from different eras, suspended in digital loops that tell mythical and surreal tales through a contemporary lens.
These figures—half painting, half 3D animation—navigate a timeless space where history, irony, and imagination intertwine, dissolving the boundaries between physical reality and digital fantasy.
D’ORO D’ART original painting created in acrylic on the front cover. The remaining two covers are crafted in aluminium and 24-karat gold.
Closed Book Sizes (cm): 38 x 56.8 x 7.5
D’ORO D’ART Project
In today’s landscape of contemporary art—where technology continuously reshapes languages and formats—D’ORO D’ART emerges as a visionary initiative, merging the excellence of Italian artisanal bookmaking with the power of international video art.
Conceived by Salvatore Giorgio Dino, founder and CEO of D’ORO Collection, D’ORO D’ART introduces a new kind of book-object: a work to be leafed through and activated, where visual storytelling comes to life through an embedded video that plays upon opening the cover. The project employs advanced technologies—including LCD screens and a long-life playback system—in which the audio-visual file becomes an integral and unalterable part of the work.
Leading this encounter between publishing and electronic art are Barbara London, founder of the video art department at MoMA New York, and Valentino Catricalà, an internationally renowned Italian curator and scholar specialising in the intersection of contemporary art and technology. Since 2019, the two have curated a programme that affirms video art as a critical, political and deeply emotional medium.
The project was inaugurated by Dara Birnbaum, a pioneering figure in video art who has radically transformed the way we perceive images in media. For D’ORO D’ART, Birnbaum reinterpreted her three-channel video Arabesque (2011), adapting it into a monographic format. The work reflects on the artistic and emotional relationship between Robert and Clara Schumann, weaving together archive material, musical performance and film excerpts from the 1947 film Song of Love. The result is an intimate and layered composition that explores the dialogue between sound, image and memory.
The conceptual delicacy of the piece resonates with the refined structure of D’ORO Collection’s handcrafted volumes, with the project being launched by Marian Goodman Gallery in the prestigious setting of Art Basel Miami.
In 2023, D’ORO D’ART initiated a new collaboration with artist Federico Solmi, broadening its scope through The Grand Voyage—a series divided into three thematic cycles, each composed of three artist’s books. The series continues to explore the frontiers of visual art, multimedia narrative and the book as sculptural object, expanding the expressive range of the collection.
D’ORO D’ART is a statement of intent: not just a new way of conceiving art publishing, but a true laboratory of form, where time, image and matter converge to forge a language that speaks to the present while preserving the memory of our age.
“I have always dreamed of creating a "transcendental" book capable of addressing every individual in the world, overcoming all language barriers: I knew art could be the universal key to this challenge. And making the first handmade book in history that features digital art inside was the revolution that only D'ORO could imagine… ”
Salvatore Giorgio Dino
Each D’ORO Collection volume is shipped following precise rules which preserve its value.
After the quality checks, the book – protected by its case or by shock-absorbing pads – is positioned inside the Book Box with its certificate of authenticity and warranty.
The Book Box – a true design piece – is wrapped in protective paper and shipped inside a robust cardboard box specially developed to optimally safeguard the book during the shipment.
The parcel is then sealed and handed over to selected forwarders for rapid insured air shipment.
