The Artisans

Somaschini marries an innovative spirit with a rich artisanal heritage rooted in 1940s Brianza. Somaschini’s expertise is reflected in their products, with unique finishes and customizable designs that effortlessly fit into the luxury market with their modern yet playful and irreverent style. Prioritizing mastery of its craft, Somaschini has fostered meaningful partnerships with designers and artisans around innovative concepts and impactful designs that align with modern living, challenging tradition with a bold, intelligent, and confident approach.

A testament to traditional Italian craftsmanship, Martin Interiors is a Milan-based firm specialized in crafting interior design decor pieces. Working with precious raw materials such as marble, wood, glass, and refined textiles, the brand’s luxury designs are tailor-made to each client and decor, merging past and present in collections that will withstand the test of time.

Committed to ethics, luxury, and professionalism, Pistore Marmi has produced superb marble pieces since 1960. Founded by a young Ferdinando Pistore - now the company's chairman - Pistore Marmi is now run by the second generation, who ensure creativity and excellent craftsmanship walk hand-in-hand with cutting-edge technologies that enhance the look of natural stones. Exclusive home decor and furnishing collections take shape thanks to the deft hands of master craftsmen, also known as "marble goldsmiths" for the tireless attention they pay to every tiny detail.

Hugo Schaer was born in 1952 in Lucerne, Switzerland. A graduate of the School of Design in Lucerne and of the Académie Grand Chaumière in Paris, he began participating in exhibitions and interdisciplinary art projects in the 1980s, mostly with video making, painting, and sculptures. Deeply involved in the Swiss artistic and cultural scene and later that of Odessa, Ukraine, he now collaborates with the Italian “Fabbrica Ceramiche Giuseppe Mazzotti 1903″ in Albisola, creating unique sculptures and ceramics marked by a distinctive yet sophisticated style.

Born in Switzerland and based between New York and Noto, Sicily, Elena Barenghi is a painter, photographer, poet, and interior designer. Her career gained momentum in Rome, before attending the Istituto Spinelli Restoration School in Florence. She established herself as an interior designer in Brussels, where she opened both the EM72 concept store and the Ruedarwin17 Bed & Breakfast. Attending the Parsons School of Design in NYC paved the way for her “The Golden Rule” solo exhibition at the Amos Eno Gallery. Her house in Noto - Casadieci - has been featured in the Casafacile and Annabelle magazines.

Born in Taranto in 1994, Alessio Pellicoro’s journey into photography began in 2016 when he stumbled upon some of his father’s disused cameras. He’s dedicated himself to the craft ever since, studying Photography and Visual Arts at the European Institute of Design in Rome (2019) and completing a master’s degree in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Editorial Design in Photography at the Higher Institute for Artistic Industries of Urbino. His works have been published in various magazines worldwide and in 2020 he published his first photographic book, “Abisso”.

Born and raised in Pantelleria, the Italian island and commune in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, Sebastiano Fischer is a contemporary sculptor. Son of ceramic artists Lele and Peter, founders of the first ceramic workshop on the island in the ‘80s, Fischer deftly captures the island’s magnificent shades, forms, and textures in his unique oeuvres. He used traditional techniques to turn raw materials from the rich land surrounding his workshop into elegant objets d’art of timeless value.

Andrea Celestino discovered his passion for woodworking as a child, inspired by his grandfather's workshop in the scenic Aosta Valley. After training in Aosta and Ortisei, known for wood sculpture, Celestino now runs a studio creating captivating contemporary art and sculptures. His work, notably his expressive female figures, reflects nature's beauty with sensuality and strength, crafted with meticulous attention to form and wood qualities. Celestino also takes commissions for classical figures, animals, and portraits, showcasing his diverse talent and dedication.

Apuglia-based artist Pierpaolo Miccolis has a body of work spanning mediums, renowned for his installations, photography, and watercolor paintings. Miccolis explores themes such as environmental factors and ethological phenomena, often portraying the body in an ironic and unsettling manner. His recent focus has been on documenting rituals in Southern Italy, drawing attention to the universal aspects of superstition and magic. With expertise in tarot and other esoteric practices, Miccolis's art invites viewers to contemplate mystical dimensions of the human experience.

Born in Savona in 1948, set designer and sculptor, Sandro Lorenzini chose the art of ceramics as his own means of expression, seeking from the beginning the large dimension and the direct relationship between the works and the spaces that host them. The large site-specific installations have constituted his most peculiar expressive dimension. The quality of the creations and the very high level of technical research have made him famous all over the world. He has exhibited in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, United States, amongst others.

Alberto La Tassa (Padova, 1986) is a painter who lives and works between Miami and Venice in Italy. His atelier is located in the heart of Venice behind Campo Santo Stefano, near the Accademia Bridge. He graduated from the Venice Academy of Fine Arts with honors. His recent solo and group exhibitions include amongst others: 2023, LA Art Show, Los Angeles, US; 2023, Art Wynwood, Miami, US; 2020, Beyond the Plastic, Muse, Trento, IT; 2020, A Collection Award, Arte Fiera, Bologna, IT; 2019, A Collection, Palazzo Barolo, Torino, IT; 2019, Arte Padova, Padova, IT; 2019, Pink Art Fair, Seoul, KR.

Arcangelo Ambrosi experiments with wood in all its natural, lively dimensions. Ambrosi creates first-rate wooden sculptures and smoking pipes, drawing inspiration from Italian author Dino Buzzati and his love for pipes, which he described as an “eminent expression of lifeless things”. Molding singular, unconventional forms, he also incorporates branches, knots, roots, and grains as essential elements in his sculptures to create striking anatomical features.

Inspired by Pollock, Fontana, and Burri, contemporary artist Mirko Demattè's most recent artistic journey is named “Contemporary Constructions”, embodying connections between people and their surroundings, capturing the essence of both architectural and emotional frames. Symbolizing motion, transformation, and flexibility, Demattè’s unique mixed media artworks, whether concrete or abstract, combine the artist’s curiosity about the world and his introspective nature, representing his evolving vision that continues to challenge the boundaries of contemporary art.

A precious family heritage of drawings, samples, and more than 1300 designs handed down for three generations is the driving force behind Vangelista 1960. Specialized in furniture collections reflecting the distinctive traits that earned Italian design global plaudit, the company exclusively uses 16th- and 17th-century techniques executed by master craftsmen. Customers cannot help but be seduced by the one-off furniture pieces, captivating with their unique shapes, finishes, and colors.

Mosaic artist and sculptor Patrizia Dalla Valle has always been fascinated by Byzantine and Ravennate art. Born in Budrio, near Bologna, she lived in Ravenna - the ancient capital of the Western Roman Empire - for 30 years, during which she learned mosaic secrets from local masters before developing her own technical and artistic mark. Constant experimentation with materials and images is a pillar of her art, which she has exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the National Museum of Fine Arts in L’Avana, Cuba, and the European Parliament in Bruxelles among others over the years.

Living between India, Thailand, and Austria as a child, Maria Christina Hamel moved to Milan at the end of the 1970s where she studied Industrial Design at the Scuola Politecnica di Design. Starting off her career alongside designers such as Andries van Onck, Ugo La Pietra, and Ambrogio Rossari, she was Alessandro Mendini’s assistant in Vienna for over ten years. Her unique style captures influences of her multicultural background, handcrafted in historic traditional places. She also teaches and her works are part of the permanent collection of the Triennale di Milano.

Evoking a unique, immersive ambiance with her distinctive paintings merging real-life figures and fantastic characters, fluid shades, and clean geometries, contemporary artist Anna Caruso grew up in a culturally rich yet fragmented Milan during the 1980s. A graduate of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts of Bergamo in 2004, she now collaborates with Italian and International art galleries, including the Gilda Contemporary Art in Milan, the Anna Marra Contemporanea in Rome, and Thomas Masters Gallery in Chicago.

Alberto Alicata (b. 1983) is a Milan-based photographer and artist. Whether behind fashion shoot or in art project, his work is marked by his unique perspective on art and style, driven by a sensitivity to the personal essence of his subjects or the creative vision of the art. His works have appeared in such publications as Elle Italia, Vogue China, D-laRepubblica, Vanity Fair, Wired, theGuardian, Telegraph, L'Oeil De La Photographie, among others. Has won, in 2016, the Sony World Photography Awards and, in 2022, the Duane Michals MA-g Awards.

Born near Perugia in the rolling Umbrian hills in 1980, Matteo Peducci has been drawn to sculpture since childhood. This natural pull turned into a reality when he received the highest honors at the Academy of Fine Arts of Carrara, Tuscany. Following graduation, he flew to Thailand where he was hired as the royal sculptor for the King of Thailand for more than three years. His return to Italy marks the birth of Affiliati, conceived as a space where the only code word is freedom, an open box for always new artistic languages to converge and thrive.

Born from a fascination with light and a passion for art, Alessandro Giacomelli and Dominique Wolniewicz founded Diaphan creative studio in 2019. Starting with friends and family-commissioned designs, today their site-specific, bespoke installations are the result of collaborations with curators, collectors, and retailers. Dedicated to the excellence of design and craftsmanship, Diaphan sets new standards for the industry, transforming light into poetic experience using a research-based approach and contemporary interpretations of natural forms.