Art and culture

Milan’s contemporary art scene

April 28, 2022

Discover Milan’s emerging artists and find out more about the contemporary art scene on the doorstep of Hotel Principe di Savoia.

Viafarini and Galleria Bianconi

Promoting emerging and established artists, these local galleries feature exhibitions and host residencies, creating platforms for contemporary art debate. Founded in 1991, Viafarini is made up of three spaces across Milan, including the original gallery, Archivio Viafarini near Chinatown, and VIR Viafarini-in-residence, near Biblioteca degli Alberi Park. The two-storey Galleria Bianconi was established in 2004 and is currently hosting Ori Gersht’s Revelations in the Folds of Time until Saturday, April 30, 2022, showcasing photographs and videos of war-torn landscapes.

Archivio Viafarini, Fabbrica del Vapore, 4 via Cesare Procaccini, 20154 Milan
VIR Viafarini-in-residence, 35 via Carlo Farini, 20159 Milan
Galleria Bianconi, 20 via Lecco, 20124 Milan

Courtesy of Federica Boffo, Viafarini

Supporting new talent

Milan’s art scene has been transformed in recent years, now featuring younger and mid-career artists, non-profit spaces, more international galleries and private cultural hubs such as Fondazione Prada and Pirelli Hangar Bicocca, with Milan’s annual Walk-In Studio Festival a local calendar favourite. Giulio Verago, the residency programme curator for Viafarini, says, “Since we established Viafarini, everything has changed. But our mission remains the same: to provide artists with the chance to grow.”

Fondazione Prada, 2 Largo Isarco, 20139 Milan
Pirelli Hangar Bicocca, 2 via Chiese, 20126 Milan

Hidden gems

Giulio rates Milan’s independent project spaces highly. Highlights include Casa degli Artisti in the San Marco district and the iron and glass former newsstand kiosk Edicola Radetzky near Naviglio Pavese. He also recommends Galleria Indice, a few streets east of Milan Cathedral, “because of the quality of their programme and their commitment to the independent art scene.” Giulio further supports Milan’s progressive art ethos by hosting international artists at VIR Viafarini-in-residence, such as Israeli visual artist Hila Laiser Beja and Italian-Brazilian artist Matheus Chiaratti.

Casa degli Artisti, via Tommaso da Cazzaniga, 89a Corso Garibaldi, 20121 Milan
Edicola Radetzky, Viale Gorizia, 20123 Milan
Galleria Indice, 19 via Cerva, 20122 Milan

Must-see exhibitions

Giulio recommends Marcello Maloberti’s Hammered, a series of poetry, slogans and political phrases written on paper and screens, on show at Triennale Milan until Monday, April 25, 2022. He also recommends strolling around ArtLine, a permanent installation of 20 public art works, with some new additions by Alfredo Jaar and Mario Airòto. “Their projects represent the complex and multifaceted Milanese scene and the interplay between public and private spaces.”

Triennale Milan, 6 Viale Alemagna, 20121 Milan
ArtLine, CityLife Park, Piazza Elsa Morante, 20145 Milan

Artist residencies

Viafarini was founded as a non-profit organisation and supports emerging artists across its venues. VIR Viafarini-in-residence hosts four-month-long artist residencies, concluding with the artist presenting their work in an exhibition, with an aim to invite discussion. Its next open studio event launches in late June or early July 2022; full details will be available soon on Viafarini’s website. Meanwhile, Renata Bianconi, the artistic director of Galleria Bianconi, says, “We support artists according to their needs. Our complex work does not end with the mere presentation of an exhibition or sale, but promotes, analyses and produces artists’ work in the market.”