work
We Are Icons – Polittico
| category | Photography |
| subject | Political / Social |
| tags | Semafori, Fine Art, Artista dei Semafori, Fotografo dei Semafori, Polittico, Traffic Lights |
| base | 100 cm |
| height | 100 cm |
| depth | 2 cm |
| year | 2025 |
There is a need to feel part of a group, as well as a desire to stand out in order to perceive one’s own uniqueness. This dichotomy pervades individuals weighed down by the collective density that was once exclusive to large city dwellers and now oppresses those who frequent “digital squares.” These little traffic light figures illustrate the fine line between the individual and the collective.
We Are Icons – Polyptych is a collection of thirty-six images selected from over one thousand two hundred photographs taken during the solo exhibition Traffic Lights – Universal Language, held at the Ex Fornace exhibition space in Milan in May 2025 Sponsored by the City of Milan – Municipality 6 and curated by Rosanna Accordino, the event celebrated the centennial of Italy’s first traffic light, installed in Milan's Piazza Duomo on April 1, 1925.
During the event, visitors switched roles, transforming from observers into artistic subjects through an interactive installation called "Traffic light man is me": a two-meter-diameter traffic light lens that allows subjects to be photographed against the light. The visitor appears as a black silhouette against the colored, circular background, thus becoming the "traffic light figure."
Traffic light figures once again simplify the world for us. Distinct differences, genders, and ethnicities disappear into a silhouette. It's the magic of synthesis—only the fragments we choose to keep remain.
The result is a powerful emotional map. Transformed into small figures, humanity sends us essential messages: Think. Love. Work. Obey. Run. Give. Seek. Invite. Acknowledge. Share. Pray. Protect. Call. "Difficult" messages also emerge: despair, seduce, jump, change, stand out, conform, rebel, restrain yourself, and run away.
This ongoing project was launched in November 2024 at the Paratissima Art Fair in Turin. It continued in 2025 during Traffic Lights – Universal Language. A third edition took place in March 2026 at Intertraffic Amsterdam, the biennial mobility fair. There, Matteo Cervone was the guest artist of La Semaforica Srl, Italy’s leading manufacturer of traffic signal lanterns. The company dedicated a monograph to Cervone's artistic project.
Publications
“We Are Icons - Polyptych” has been published in the following media: Pavia Art Talent 8° catalogue onpaper November 2025; ArteGenova 20° catalogue onpaper February 2026; La Semaforica Srl Monograph Signal Art & Design onpaper March 2026
Technical notes
Digital Photography
Gliclée print in Fine Art Hahnemühle paper, on Di-Bond
Unique edition – 9 total print run + 1 NFT + 2 AP
Certificates of: authenticity, edition, product, origin
AAC (Self-Certification of Contemporary Art – Ministry of Culture Italy) – ‘Fine Arts’ export procedure: on request
We Are Icons – Polyptych is a collection of thirty-six images selected from over one thousand two hundred photographs taken during the solo exhibition Traffic Lights – Universal Language, held at the Ex Fornace exhibition space in Milan in May 2025 Sponsored by the City of Milan – Municipality 6 and curated by Rosanna Accordino, the event celebrated the centennial of Italy’s first traffic light, installed in Milan's Piazza Duomo on April 1, 1925.
During the event, visitors switched roles, transforming from observers into artistic subjects through an interactive installation called "Traffic light man is me": a two-meter-diameter traffic light lens that allows subjects to be photographed against the light. The visitor appears as a black silhouette against the colored, circular background, thus becoming the "traffic light figure."
Traffic light figures once again simplify the world for us. Distinct differences, genders, and ethnicities disappear into a silhouette. It's the magic of synthesis—only the fragments we choose to keep remain.
The result is a powerful emotional map. Transformed into small figures, humanity sends us essential messages: Think. Love. Work. Obey. Run. Give. Seek. Invite. Acknowledge. Share. Pray. Protect. Call. "Difficult" messages also emerge: despair, seduce, jump, change, stand out, conform, rebel, restrain yourself, and run away.
This ongoing project was launched in November 2024 at the Paratissima Art Fair in Turin. It continued in 2025 during Traffic Lights – Universal Language. A third edition took place in March 2026 at Intertraffic Amsterdam, the biennial mobility fair. There, Matteo Cervone was the guest artist of La Semaforica Srl, Italy’s leading manufacturer of traffic signal lanterns. The company dedicated a monograph to Cervone's artistic project.
Publications
“We Are Icons - Polyptych” has been published in the following media: Pavia Art Talent 8° catalogue onpaper November 2025; ArteGenova 20° catalogue onpaper February 2026; La Semaforica Srl Monograph Signal Art & Design onpaper March 2026
Technical notes
Digital Photography
Gliclée print in Fine Art Hahnemühle paper, on Di-Bond
Unique edition – 9 total print run + 1 NFT + 2 AP
Certificates of: authenticity, edition, product, origin
AAC (Self-Certification of Contemporary Art – Ministry of Culture Italy) – ‘Fine Arts’ export procedure: on request
