Milan Bunker Turned Gallery Opens with Giorgio Bernasconi Watercolors

A new independent gallery, Spazio Amato, has opened in a former WWII air-raid bunker at Via Vallarsa 20 in Milan. The 30-square-meter space, built in the 1940s as a condominium shelter, was inherited by sculptor Giorgio Bernasconi (born 1998) from artist Massimo Uberti, who had used it as a studio near Fondazione Prada. Uberti offered the space to Bernasconi in a July 2021 phone call, and after helping with the move, Bernasconi decided to turn it into an experimental exhibition venue. The inaugural show, running from December 16, 2021 (with a two-day opening on December 16-17 due to a general strike), features Bernasconi's series "Possibilité Trouvé"—five medium-to-large watercolors on canvas from 2021 titled Possibilità 1, Possibilità 2, Possibilità 3, Possibilità 4, and Possibilità Riflessa. The works explore contemplation as a window onto the urban gaze, often depicting a half-open window motif inspired by Giovanni Bellini's Pietà at the Pinacoteca di Brera, where Bernasconi studied. The gallery is curiously adorned with plants from a local nursery, echoing leaves in Bernasconi's paintings. Future exhibitions will feature artists Giulio Alvigini, Marco Paleari, Marco Chemello, and Pietro Guglielmin. Visits are by appointment only.