3DRap‘s participation in Devotio takes place at the leading international exhibition dedicated to products and services for the religious world, a biennial event that has long been a reference point for the entire sacred arts sector: art, craftsmanship, liturgy, architecture, technology and services for church communities.
Hosted at BolognaFiere, Devotio is conceived as a space for meeting, dialogue and development, where producers, artists, artisans, dioceses, parishes, institutions, restorers and specialist professionals can exchange ideas, build relationships and present innovative solutions while fully respecting religious tradition. It is not just a commercial showcase, but a cultural and professional hub that brings together business, reflection and vision.
At Stand A5, 3DRap is exhibiting in collaboration with Anima Campania, bringing to the exhibition a project that perfectly embodies Devotio’s mission: preserving the sacred while keeping it alive, accessible and sustainable today.
An immersive exhibition journey: artworks, technology and spirituality
The presence of 3DRap and Anima Campania takes the form of a true exhibition journey, designed to showcase the potential of technology applied to sacred art through monumental physical works, three-dimensional sculptures and immersive digital environments.
Alongside the project for the Madonna della Neve of Sala di Serino (AV), a work created specifically to replace the original during public and religious events such as processions, thus preserving the integrity of the historic wooden statue, we are presenting numerous works made through 3D scanning and printing. This 100% faithful replica allows the community to continue a centuries-old tradition without exposing the original work to structural or environmental risks, offering a concrete, replicable model for many church communities.
Among the works on display, Mary Help of Christians plays a central role, presented at Devotio in two distinct and previously unseen forms. We will bring to the exhibition a section of the imposing bas-relief of Mary Help of Christians, part of a monumental work that extends over three meters and was installed and inaugurated in Albania as a permanent artistic and devotional work. The piece engages with the architectural space and the local community, demonstrating how digital manufacturing can support international projects in contemporary sacred art.
Alongside this completed work, an entirely new 3D statue of Mary Help of Christians will be presented, designed as a three-dimensional evolution of the bas-relief: a transition from sculpted surface to full volume that opens up new expressive and practical possibilities for liturgical, museum and devotional settings.
Another central feature of the stand is an area dedicated to virtual reality, where visitors can put on a VR headset and immerse themselves in three-dimensional digital environments, exploring the works at full scale, in detail and within their architectural and spiritual context. This experience expands on traditional ways of engaging with the works and makes the heritage accessible in virtual, museum and educational settings as well.
Creating and replicating artworks
On display will be full-scale reproductions of figures deeply connected to popular devotion and local history. The works begin as original digital sculptures, modeled entirely from scratch, and are then brought into physical form through an integrated process combining 3D modeling, 3D printing and artistic finishing, following the approach developed by Anima Campania. These include:
• Carlo Acutis
• Mary Help of Christians
• Saint Modestinus
• Saint Sebastian
• Saint William
The creation of Saint William grew out of a specific collaboration with the Irpinia 7x Association, together with 3D artist Metta Borriello and Nello Valentino, a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts of Naples. This collective effort brings together artistic, digital and academic expertise to recreate a figure of profound cultural and spiritual significance.
A replicable model for the religious world
Stand A5 becomes a space where sacred art, technology and devotion engage in open dialogue: from original 3D modeling, understood as a new sculptural practice capable of giving form to works conceived and created from scratch, to 3D scanning as a tool for protecting, studying and documenting existing heritage; from monumental 3D printing for works and replicas intended for processions and devotional events, to virtual reality, a new frontier for experiencing spiritual and cultural heritage.
At Devotio, 3DRap and Anima Campania are not presenting individual works, but a comprehensive, replicable vision designed for dioceses, parishes, museums and communities that want to protect and enhance their heritage without abandoning tradition.
A clear, shared vision: innovation does not replace tradition, but can preserve it, strengthen it and carry it into the future.
We look forward to seeing you at Devotio 2026 – Stand A5
January 30 to February 3
BolognaFiere – Hall 18
