Italian artist Enrico Mazzone sharpens his many pencils for the Second Scroll of the Apocalypse
Enrico Mazzone has hit a milestone in his art project: the first 250 metres of his one-kilometre-long Book of Revelation drawing is now complete. And now in April 2026, work has started on the project’s second 250m installation – the Second Scroll of the Apocalypse.
“It is one of the most ambitious drawing projects in the world,” says Mazzone, who has been working on the large-scale artwork for several years. “I am depicting the Book of Revelation on paper with a total length of one kilometre. But that is not the only thing that is unique: whilst again I’m using a unique style to create the artwork, here for the Apocalypse project I am using red pencils (instead of graphite crayons) on black surface paper, drawing lines instead of dots so as to not repeat the previous tapping technique used for the Divine Comedy. The pictures will only be seen close-up. Both the complexity of this technique and the artwork’s colossal size means that I’m completing the whole artwork in four different sections, four x 250 metres.”
Each of the four sections will use premium Koehler Eco Black Greenium recycled paper from German-headquartered speciality paper manufacturer Koehler Paper. Mazzone explains the appeal of the paper: “The matt jet black surface of Koehler Eco Black has deep and rich black colours, it is made in a carbon-neutral manner, is lightfast, and is resistant to bleeding, colour migration and rubbing. It serves as a foundation for large-scale renderings that arise from a combination of fine engraving and white drawings, creating a one-of-a-kind three-dimensional effect.”
Udo Hollbach, Managing Director of the Koehler Paper Greiz mill, adds: “We’re delighted to once again be able to help Enrico Mazzone with his extraordinary art project. With Koehler Eco Black, we’re providing paper that is not only made of 100% secondary fibres and has been awarded the “Blue Angel” eco-label, but also provides artists with completely new possibilities for expressing their creativity. In fact, Mazzone’s work is a striking example of how a material and an artistic vision can meld into each other and become inseparable.”
Mazzone, who has also drawn artistic inspiration from Dante’s Divine Comedy and the Ossian Saga, believes the paper ideally enables him to capture the vivid and emotionally rich imagery of the Book of Revelations.
His first vision arrived at the Staglieno Cemetery in Genoa, where he discovered the Pizzorno Monument, created by sculptor Antonio Lavezzari. “This site represented the mystical genesis of the artist’s conceptual journey, fuelling my exploration of themes such as mortality, spirituality, and artistic legacy,” he says.
In November 2023, Koehler Paper agreed to be a supporter and sponsor of the project, agreeing to provide a 250-metre reel of its premium paper, each 2.80 metres long. The second part of the Apocalypse project introduces a style introduces a style reminiscent of the Benedictine artistic tradition, which is rooted in Ora et Labora (prayer and work) and is a centuries-old dedication to “creating sacred beauty that reflects divine glory.” After visiting the Sanctuary of the Sacro Speco, Mazzone was inspired to adopt this expressive narrative style, emphasising spiritual depth and contemplative symbolism. This stylistic choice, he says, aims to evoke a sense of sacred reverence and historical continuity within the work.
The project will be carried out between Finland and Italy (Cogoleto and Priocca) and is expected to last at least two years: “Once the work is completed, the ultimate goal is to present it at the Venice Biennale,” he says. “The installation will feature a liminal space in which all four scrolls will be displayed. The space will be entirely lined with paper modules, creating an immerasive environment designed to evoke a sense of disorienting enchantment and unease, challenging perceptions and evoking a liminal and transformative experience for viewers.”
