“Polvere di stelle”: an immersive work celebrates Unoaerre’s centenary

Founded in 1926 in Arezzo by Carlo Zucchi and Leopoldo Gori, Unoaerre celebrates its centenary in 2026. To mark the occasion, the Arezzo-based company has commissioned artist Felice Limosani to create the artwork “Polvere di stelle”, on view from May 9 to June 8 at the Palazzo della Fraternità dei Laici in Arezzo. “Commemorating one hundred years of Unoaerre means looking at our history and the vision that has guided the company since its foundation: innovation, a culture of making, and openness to the world,” said president Maria Cristina Squarcialupi. “Felice Limosani’s Polvere di stelle is the ideal work to tell the story of gold not only as a precious material or a manufacturing tradition, but as an element that connects us to the history of the universe. It is a way of remembering that behind the daily work of goldsmithing there is a broader dimension, made of time, knowledge, and wonder.” The immersive artwork stems from a reflection on the cosmic origin of gold. For billions of years this element did not exist in the universe: its formation is linked to the collision of two neutron stars, an astrophysical event of extraordinary energy observed for the first time on August 17, 2017 thanks to the LIGO and Virgo detectors and an international network of observatories. In that phenomenon – the so-called kilonova – heavy elements such as gold are generated, opening a new understanding of the origin of matter.

“Polvere di stelle is a collective symbol, made of art, care, and time. A journey that brings gold and humanity back to their origin. The light before existence, the stars before history, beauty before name. A shared destiny in which gold never ceases to exist while we move through time, to shine and return,” explained Felice Limosani, multidisciplinary artist and innovator in the field of Digital Humanities.

Antonella Reina, Editor VO+