It's no longer just a trend, but an increasingly conscious curatorial choice: bringing contemporary art into restaurants and hospitality spaces. This is the spirit of Dreams of the East, an art exhibition at the Artè restaurant at the Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola in Lugano Cassarate. A project that demonstrates how a gastronomic setting can be transformed into a place of contemplation without sacrificing its original purpose.
The exhibition, which can be visited until November 21, 2026, organized by Gammert & Partner AG and curated by the Punto sull'Arte gallery in Varese, develops along a path that accompanies the public through pictorial and sculptural works, integrated into the spaces of the famous hotel overlooking Lake Ceresio.
Five artists, a single symbolic horizon
The project brings together five artists from different cultural backgrounds, united by a reflection on Eastern thought understood not as exoticism, but as an interior posture. Dreams of the East It thus becomes an investigation into change, balance, and the relationship between human beings and nature.
The works Annalu They explore the theme of metamorphosis through sculptures made of fiberglass, paper, and glass. The ginkgo tree, a recurring element in their work, symbolizes longevity and rebirth, evoking impermanence as a fundamental value of existence.
Jernej Scissors He proposes a reflection on landscape as a layered memory. His views, inspired by oriental scroll paintings, build a visual bridge between East and West, inviting slow and silent contemplation.
In the paintings of Lara MartinatoThe figure of the samurai emerges as an archetype of discipline and balance. The use of gold and precious pigments opens up a suspended dimension, where strength and vulnerability coexist as complementary elements.
The border between dream and reality is instead the research ground of Alice Zanin, who creates lightweight creatures from papier-mâché, a material with ancient roots in Chinese tradition. Her works evoke spirit guides and awaken an imaginative dimension often overlooked in the adult gaze.
Closes the path Kyoji Nagatani, with bronze sculptures featuring ascending forms. His works evoke the atmosphere of the Far East and reflect on the harmony between emptiness and fullness, suggesting a meditation on the relationship between humanity and the environment.
The art exhibition at the restaurant as an immersive experience
Located in the spaces of a historic hotel, Dreams of the East It reinforces the concept of an art exhibition in a restaurant as an integrated experience. The works don't interrupt the daily life of the space, but rather complement it, offering visitors—and diners—an opportunity for an informal encounter with contemporary art.
The exhibition doesn't follow a traditional museum approach, but adapts to the rhythms of hospitality, encouraging spontaneous and unmediated enjoyment. This approach broadens the potential audience and makes art part of a broader sensory experience.
The role of the Punto sull'Arte gallery in Varese
Within the exhibition project, a significant role is played by the Art Point Gallery in Varese, an organization active in the promotion of contemporary art and in the dialogue between artists, collectors and institutions. The gallery, based in Viale Sant'Antonio and Via San Martino in Varese, has been committed for years to the promotion of artistic paths that combine formal research and conceptual depth.
The presence of Punto sull'Arte confirms the cross-border cultural axis between Ticino and Lombardy, underscoring how projects of this kind can arise from collaboration between different yet complementary worlds.
The East as the direction of the soul
As a whole, Dreams of the East It doesn't offer a geographical interpretation of the East, but rather a symbolic and interior dimension. The exhibition suggests a shift in perspective, inviting us to perceive the world through balance, respect for transformation, and listening to natural rhythms.
In this sense, the exhibition becomes not just an exhibition event, but a narrative device that accompanies the visitor on a silent journey, where form, matter, and space meet without fanfare, leaving room for personal reflection.
