Déjà vécu is the first work in the MADE series—a body of work built around the exploration and reenactment of childhood drawings. This piece is rooted in a drawing I made at the age of six, titled Pioggia di stelle (Rain of Stars).

That original drawing was inspired by a class trip to the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, where I first encountered Giotto’s frescoes up close. The visit left a strong impression, particularly the starry ceiling—a detail I later reinterpreted for a children’s art contest organized by a local bank, which had “infinite space” as its theme.

Although Pioggia di stelle was well received and even won awards, the memory behind it has always carried a sense of discomfort. During that visit, I was excluded from the class discussion about the saints and Christian iconography because I didn’t attend Catholic classes like my classmates. My teacher told me to “just look at the ceiling”—a moment that made me feel isolated from a collective experience. It wasn’t the first time she dismissed me based on my ethnicity, religion, or skin color, but this moment stood out. As a child, I turned that exclusion into fascination—pouring all my focus into the deep blue sky above, much like Giotto’s.

Déjà vécu, as the title suggests, is about reliving that moment. The work mirrors the visual language of Pioggia di stelle, including its irregular stars and composition, while referencing Giotto’s celestial ceiling. The canvas itself is exactly half the size of the original fresco. The ultramarine blue used in the piece is a contemporary echo of lapis lazuli, layered using a combination of pastels—some as old as the original drawing, others recently acquired—creating subtle shifts in tone despite using the same hue.

The work holds both memory and transformation. It reflects a micro-trauma from childhood, but also a reclaiming of that experience through art.