A statement on the disappearance of Sacred Connection and Silent Strength after Cersaie 2026
On the morning of September 26, 2026, our team returned to the Cersaie exhibition venue in Bologna, Italy, to dismantle the stand and collect the exhibits. Upon arrival, they discovered that two JNJMosaic artworks—Sacred Connection and Silent Strength—were no longer in their original positions.
Based on the information currently available, the two artworks are believed to have disappeared sometime between the evening of September 25 and the morning of September 26. The incident has been reported to the Italian police, and records have also been submitted to the exhibition organizer and the relevant parties. The matter remains under investigation.
Regrettably, the artworks left the exhibition hall in a way we never expected or wished for.
For JNJMosaic, the loss extends beyond two exhibits with commercial value. Each mosaic artwork represents an original design, a carefully developed artistic concept, the considered selection of materials, meticulous hand-cutting and assembly, and the time and experience of the artisans who created it. Its true value cannot be summarized by a declared monetary amount alone.
Sacred Connection: The Value of Trust and Companionship
The missing version of Sacred Connection measures approximately 100 × 180 cm. The artwork depicts two horses standing closely together, their faces gently overlapping and their noses almost touching.
Their lowered eyes and intimate posture create a moment of stillness and mutual trust. Pale blue tones give the composition a quiet, almost dreamlike quality, while carefully placed gold details bring warmth, dignity, and a subtle sense of the sacred.
The emotional meaning of the artwork lies in the relationship between the two figures. Their closeness may suggest the bond between parent and child, the intimacy of partners, the loyalty of trusted companions, or even reconciliation with one’s inner self.
Rather than presenting the horses through movement or physical power, Sacred Connection captures a private moment of tenderness. Their strength is expressed through their willingness to stand close, offer comfort, and remain connected.
This meaning is created through countless individual pieces of glass mosaic. Every curve, change of color, highlight, shadow, and golden accent depends on where each piece is cut and placed. When viewed from a distance, the fragments form a complete and emotionally expressive image. When examined closely, each piece retains its own shape, texture, and material presence.
That relationship between the fragment and the whole is fundamental to mosaic art. Separate pieces acquire new meaning through connection—just as the two horses in the artwork find strength and comfort in one another.
Following the disappearance of the work, the word “connection” has gained another meaning. The physical connection between the artwork, the exhibition space, its creators, and its audience has been interrupted. Its identity and provenance, however, remain unchanged.
Silent Strength: The Value of Inner Resilience
The missing version of Silent Strength measures approximately 100 × 160 cm. Against a deep black background, the face of a grey elephant emerges through carefully controlled variations of light, shadow, color, and texture.
The composition is deliberately restrained. By removing unnecessary visual elements and focusing entirely on the elephant’s head, the artwork draws the viewer toward its broad ear, curved tusk, textured skin, and calm, steady gaze.
Across different cultures, elephants are associated with wisdom, loyalty, longevity, memory, protection, and sacred power. Their immense physical presence is balanced by intelligence, patience, emotional sensitivity, and strong social bonds.
This balance gives the work its name.
Silent Strength is not an image of force expressed through aggression. It represents a quieter and more enduring kind of strength—the ability to remain steady, composed, and dependable even in uncertain circumstances. The elephant’s powerful form and gentle expression unite outward strength with inner tenderness.
The title now carries additional meaning for JNJMosaic. In responding to this incident, we have chosen to remain restrained while cooperating with the investigation and firmly protecting the identity, provenance, and rights associated with the missing artworks.
Where Sacred Connection explores the relationships that support us, Silent Strength reflects the resilience found within us. One is gentle and intimate; the other is quiet and resolute. One speaks of reliance and companionship; the other of patience and perseverance.
Together, the two artworks form a dialogue between connection and strength.
More Than Decorative Objects
These two works are not printed images or mass-produced decorative panels. They are handcrafted glass mosaic artworks created through a process that brings together original design, material knowledge, precision, patience, and artistic judgment.
Before production begins, the composition must first be translated into a visual system suitable for mosaic. Colors are selected not only for their individual beauty but also for the way they interact with neighboring tones and respond to changing light.
Individual pieces of glass are then cut and arranged according to the contours, textures, and direction of the composition. The orientation of a mosaic piece can influence the flow of a mane, the curve of a face, the volume of an animal’s body, or the way light appears to move across a surface.
In Sacred Connection, subtle changes in color and direction shape the horses’ faces, flowing manes, and intimate posture. The gold details are not arbitrary decoration; they are placed to emphasize form, rhythm, and the emotional significance of the composition.
In Silent Strength, carefully controlled transitions between grey, white, and dark tones create the elephant’s textured skin and monumental presence. Against the black background, even a small change in the placement or angle of a mosaic piece can affect the depth and expression of the image.
This work requires more than valuable materials. It requires the practiced hands and trained judgment of designers and artisans, as well as many hours of concentration and care.
The value of mosaic art has never depended solely on the material itself. Its true value lies in the reason every piece is selected, cut, and placed where it belongs.
Handcrafting also leaves subtle variations that cannot be reproduced mechanically. Even when a design is recreated, the rhythm, transitions, and minute traces of the maker’s hand ensure that no two versions are entirely identical.
JNJMosaic artworks can be customized in size, color, material, and composition according to different architectural environments and project requirements. The two missing works were produced at approximately 100 × 180 cm and 100 × 160 cm. Their dimensions, arrangement of materials, color transitions, and handcrafted details form a distinctive combination that can help identify them.
The Meaning of Their Value
The two artworks were assigned a combined declared value of approximately €10,000 in the police report. This figure records their financial value for the purposes of the case, but it does not fully describe what has been lost.
An original mosaic artwork carries several forms of value at once: the value of its concept, the value of its materials, the value of skilled labor, the value of the time required to make it, and the emotional value created when an image communicates something meaningful to its audience.
Sacred Connection and Silent Strength were created to demonstrate what contemporary mosaic can become when traditional handcraft is combined with modern artistic expression. They show that mosaic is not merely a surface covering or an architectural accessory. It can be an independent work of art capable of carrying narrative, symbolism, emotion, and a recognizable artistic identity.
Their disappearance does not erase that identity.
The original concepts, production records, material arrangements, photographs, and handcrafted characteristics remain documented. These elements establish the provenance of the works and distinguish them from any unauthorized reproduction or misrepresentation.
An Appeal for Information
We respect the ongoing police investigation and will not circulate unverified claims or speculate about who may be responsible.
At the same time, we respectfully ask galleries, designers, collectors, logistics providers, warehouse operators, resellers, and members of the public to remain alert. If either artwork appears through an art dealer, resale platform, private transaction, transportation channel, storage facility, or any other setting, please contact JNJMosaic or the appropriate local authorities.
Sacred Connection is about connection. Silent Strength is about resilience. Today, these names also express how we feel in the face of this incident: we value the connection between an artwork, its creators, and its audience, and we will continue searching for the missing works with quiet determination.
The artworks may have temporarily left the exhibition hall, but their creative history, handcrafted details, provenance, and artistic identity have not disappeared.
JNJMosaic will continue to defend the value of original design, respect for creative work, and the place of handcrafted mosaic within contemporary art.
We remain committed to bringing Sacred Connection and Silent Strength home.
