SOGNI D’ORIENTE | Artè Lugano

The exhibition Sogni d’Oriente by PUNTO SULL’ARTE arrives in Switzerland with an exhibition project that brings together five contemporary artists: Annalù, Jernej Forbici, Lara Martinato, Kyoji Nagatani, and Alice Zanin. Painting and sculpture engage in a dialogue along a path that weaves together dream, symbol, and spirituality, drawing inspiration from the East as an inner, contemplative dimension.

The works will be displayed in the refined Art Gallery Arté Restaurant in Lugano, an elegant space overlooking the shores of the lake and part of the prestigious five-star Hotel Villa Castagnola. For years, Art Gallery Arté Restaurant has offered a unique combination of contemporary art and haute cuisine, providing visitors with a complete sensory experience. This year, the works by our artists have been selected to remain on view until November 2026.

The artists of Sogni d’Oriente explore dream, symbol, and spirituality, finding in the East not a simple geographical reference, but an inner dimension shaped by balance, contemplation, and transformation.

Annalù investigates the themes of metamorphosis and impermanence through sculptures made of fiberglass, paper, and glass. Her fluid, suspended forms recall Zen philosophy and the continuous becoming of life. Among her recurring symbols are ginkgo leaves—emblems of longevity, rebirth, and wisdom—which become metaphors for a resilient and luminous spirituality.

Jernej Forbici’s painting focuses on landscape as a place of memory and inner reflection. His layered, silent views invite a slow, meditative gaze, evoking an Eastern sensibility in which nature is not merely a backdrop, but a living presence and a mirror of the spirit.

In Lara Martinato’s paintings, the figure of the samurai emerges as an archetype of discipline, balance, and awareness. Precious surfaces enriched with gold and pigments transform the warrior into a suspended presence, symbolizing a spiritual path that unites rigor and contemplation.

Kyoji Nagatani, a Japanese sculptor, presents bronze works with essential, ascending forms. His sculptures express birth, growth, and elevation, embodying the principles of Japanese aesthetics based on harmony, proportion, and the dialogue between emptiness and fullness.

Finally, Alice Zanin creates light, delicate creatures in papier-mâché, a material of ancient Chinese origin. Her animals, suspended between reality and dream, appear as poetic and silent presences—evocations of a natural world observed through an inner, contemplative gaze.