IA BY IA
A Fragmented Reality as an Illusion
Presented as part of AVART's ongoing curatorial programme, A Fragmented Reality as an Illusion brought Korean creative director and artist IA to Lugano with a site-specific installation exploring the relationship between language, memory and perception.
The event welcomed guests from the worlds of art, fashion and design, transforming AVART into an immersive environment centred around a large-scale textile work composed of hundreds of hand-cut cotton fragments. Individually marked with handwritten words, graphic signs and cut-out openings, these delicate elements came together to form a fragmented landscape that invited visitors to navigate between personal interpretation and collective experience.
Conceived as an environment rather than a conventional exhibition, the installation unfolded through layers of fabric, handwritten language and suspended forms, encouraging a slower, more contemplative encounter with the work. Meaning emerged gradually through the viewer's experience, where memory, perception and personal interpretation became inseparable.
The project reflects AVART's ongoing commitment to fostering dialogue between fashion, art, design and contemporary visual culture through a programme of exhibitions, installations and interdisciplinary encounters that extend beyond the conventional boundaries of retail.
THE MONOCLE HANDBOOK
10 Feb 2026
Avart Featured in the New Monocle Book
The latest book published by Monocle brings together a curated selection of destinations, retailers, creators and cultural contributors who, in different ways, help define the contemporary landscape of design and lifestyle worldwide. Within this context, the inclusion of Avart represents an important acknowledgement of the values that guide our work: a commitment to independent design, a long-term approach to curation, and a constant dialogue between local presence and global perspective.
This feature offers an opportunity to share the vision behind Avart with a wider international audience, and to be part of a publication known for its editorial integrity, research depth and global cultural relevance.
The book officially launched worldwide on 1 December, and a limited number of copies are now available at both Avart stores and online.
A Moment Shaped by Album di Famiglia
28 Nov 2025
Closing the Year at Avart
A remarkable moment closing this year for Avart.
This event marked the launch of our partnership with MASI Lugano, celebrated through the poetic performance of Album di Famiglia — a brand with whom we share a deep and long-standing connection.
Their vision and intimate way of telling stories through movement made this moment truly special. The performance created a quiet space for emotion, imagination and reflection, resonating well beyond the evening itself.
We extend our thanks to Album di Famiglia and to MASI Lugano for embracing this new journey with us.
This collaboration marks an important step forward and opens the beginning of a shared dialogue between Avart and cultural institutions of the city .
Jan Jan Van Essche at avart
23 Oct 2025
For three weeks, Avart welcomed a special installation by Jan Jan Van Essche. The project was designed to let our visitors experience the designer's universe in a personal and immersive way.
During the inaugural event, guests saw unfold a true artistic performance by the artist himself. For about an hour, Jan Jan created live sketches of his designs, using authentic ancient Japanese ink, revealing the depth of his creative vision and the quiet intensity that defines his work. Visitors experienced garments as living forms, shaped by movement, presence, and time, and discovered the thoughtfulness behind each detail.
The installation became a space for reflection and attentive observation, inviting visitors to slow down and engage with creativity on a deeper level. It was more than an exhibition; it was a moment to connect, pause, and appreciate.
This installation reaffirms Avart’s commitment to presenting creative practices that inspire curiosity, dialogue, and meaningful connection.
Avart, 15 Years of Love
21 Sept 2023
To mark fifteen years of Avart, we embraced a temporality grounded in attention, depth, and intention - a space where every gesture could unfold with clarity and meaning.
At the heart of this moment, a traditional Japanese tea ceremony took shape on a tatami setting conceived for the occasion. A young woman, dressed in ceremonial attire, performed the preparation of matcha with quiet precision, following a sequence refined over centuries. Each movement, measured, essential, revealed a discipline where beauty resides in intention, and meaning emerges through the subtle articulation of form.
Guests were invited to enter this space in small groups, gradually, to sit close to the ritual and share in its unfolding. To observe, to listen, and ultimately to taste. Not only the tea, but the atmosphere it carried - a sense of stillness, concentration, and care.
Within this experience, we recognized something deeply aligned with Avart’s path: a devotion to process, to gestures that require time, and to encounters that unfold with sensitivity and depth.
Fifteen years trace a constellation of moments, relationships, and intuitions that continue to shape who we are.