Art as Encounter, Dialogue, Experience.
There is a place in Lugano where contemporary art is not only observed, but experienced, explored, and shared. A context where the relationship between audience and artist returns to being direct and authentic, free from superstructures and filters. That place is YouNique – Boutique Fair of Arts, which in 2026 celebrates its seventh edition, establishing itself as one of the region’s key cultural events and the only fair entirely dedicated to contemporary art in Italian-speaking Switzerland. Excellence Magazine is once again a media partner of the event this year.
Organized with the patronage and support of the City of Lugano and the Lugano Region, the event will be held from March 27th to 29th at Villa Ciani and today represents a point of reference for collectors, gallery owners, industry professionals, and an increasingly broad and qualified audience.
The 2026 edition brings together 6 galleries and approximately 70 Swiss and international artists, both established and emerging, who interpret diverse artistic languages: from figurative and abstract painting to sculpture, from material experimentation to photography and digital art, and contemporary Chinese art, today among the most dynamic laboratories on the global scene. Among the international protagonists is Ronal Bejarano, an artist originally from Honduras who combines figuration and abstraction through a bold use of color, who will perform a live painting performance every day starting at 4:00 PM.
Other notable independent artists include sculptor Andrea Roggi, known for his monumental works in bronze, marble, and stainless steel; Daniele Mazzoleni, a Milanese pop artist who has previously featured in exhibitions curated by Federico Caloi and Luca Cantore d’Amore; Dámaso Arriero García, an artist of Uruguayan origin whose paintings recall Cubist and Expressionist influences; and Fabrizio Bergamo, a photographer who reinvents himself through experimental techniques to push the limits of digital technology.
On the Swiss side, the fair showcases artists recognized and deeply rooted in the region, including Irena Dragova, Claudia Von Boch, Francesca Petrarca, and Tatiana Shitikova, all of whom pursue a coherent approach to art, in dialogue with a collector’s focus on quality. Also interesting are the proposals from the participating galleries, such as Stefano Bombardieri, an internationally renowned sculptor with an instantly recognizable style, Ciro Palumbo, and Davide Dall’Osso, all represented by the GALP gallery.
A central figure in the proposal from Milan’s Madeinartgallery is Zhang Hong Mei, one of the most recognized figures on the Asian scene and the protagonist of the Fabric of the City exhibition, hosted by MUSEC – Museo delle Culture from March 19 to July 5, 2026. The Lugano-based Gate Gallery presents a curated selection that includes the participation of Swiss artist Claudia Hartmann and portraitist Silvio Porzionato.
Tosee Art Gallery, a platform active in northern Switzerland, is dedicated to promoting young emerging artists such as Amirata Winter, a fast-rising Swiss artist and winner of numerous international awards. Area/B Gallery confirms its position as a reference point for contemporary figuration and realism, with roots in the Newbrow Art movement, while Art X on Glass, a project founded by Miriam Schnyder, explores the creative potential of glass at the intersection of art and design.
Together, artists and galleries create a complex and stimulating exhibition itinerary, where each space becomes an opportunity for discovery, discussion, and dialogue between languages, materials, and artistic visions. The dialogue between YouNique 2026 and the urban context extends beyond the interior spaces of Villa Ciani through three site-specific installations located in the villa’s outdoor spaces and accessible to the public: “Radicato” by Andrea Roggi, “City of Light” by architect and designer Marco Piva, and “Cavallo a vento – verde e azzurro” by Davide Dall’Osso. Silvia Di Pasquale’s highly relevant work, “Vibrazioni Olimpiche”, visible inside the Villa, celebrates the power and speed of skiing, and was presented on the occasion of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
YouNique is also strengthening its identity through collaborations with local institutions and cultural organizations. Among these is MUSEC – Lugano’s Museum of Cultures, with which a collaboration has been established that includes free admission to the fair for members of the Club delle Culture and reduced museum admission for fair visitors, as well as a talk hosted by researcher Massimiliano Vitali.
Particularly significant is the collaboration initiated with Fabrizio Traversa, head of the “Experience Economics and Customer Experience Innovation” module in the Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at SUPSI, with a project that actively involved students in the ambitious challenge of designing an urban cultural event that would transform the City of Lugano into an open-air museum.
Among the new features of the 2026 edition is YouNique & Pasto Sospeso, a solidarity initiative that supports the Bethlehem Center led by Friar Martino Dotta and Casa Martini, both managed by the Francesco Foundation. A dedicated space will be located within Villa Ciani where the public can actively contribute to donating hot meals to those in need.
For 2026, YouNique offers a rich calendar of talks dedicated to highly topical topics, such as art and its relationship with geopolitics, collecting, architecture, communication, and the market. This program restores art to its most profound function: to be a critical lens on the present, a tool for reading and interpreting the transformations underway.
