Maddalena Re, an artist from Emilia born in 1995, discovered collage during her high school years. Drawing inspiration from the lives of women of the past, she chose collage as her personal medium for giving voice to their stories. The figures she depicts are complex, made up of a multitude of colors, words, and memories. Their faces are mosaics of clippings taken from old magazines and long-forgotten photographs. Once assembled on canvas, these same fragments take on a new role, coming together into images that speak to the present. The technique of collage itself carries a timely message, encouraging value to be found in reused, discarded materials — not as a purely aesthetic choice, but as an ethical response to today's environmental and economic urgencies. Since 2021, Maddalena has shown her work at exhibitions and events, and also runs art workshops for local government bodies, cultural associations, and private companies. Since 2023, she has been co-founder of the artistic collective Colleria, based in Reggio Emilia, created to spread the technique of collage through exhibitions and workshops.