As a new generation of professionals questions how art is and should be experienced, circulated and collected, agile alternative formats—from salon-style fairs to exhibition-social club hybrids—are proliferating during art weeks. They are an obvious response to one of the most pressing challenges the art world faces today: how to expand its reach and then convert new audiences into loyal buyers. In Milan last week, we saw the city’s art week expand beyond the historic miart fair to encompass a growing ecosystem of satellite fairs, including the Milan debut of Paris Internationale and the boundary-pushing MEGA art fair, whose third edition served as the art week’s after-hours social hub.
Inspired by Basel Social Club, MEGA has made social connection and community engagement central to its model, with expansive public programming at the heart of the entire fair. Here, the exhibition and public programming are combined fluidly into a single curatorial experience; MEGA is not so much a commercial platform as a cultural one that invites visitors to do more than just see art.
The fair’s extended hours (midday to midnight) and extended programming (April 15-25) situated it not only in Milan Art Week but also in Milan Design Week, when the city truly becomes a global magnet. “We wanted to create a platform where people could meet, and where art could be exhibited outside traditional formats—something more than just a fair,” curator Marta Sironi, who is working with MEGA founder and art advisor Mattia Pozzoni, told Observer. “At the same time, we’ve tried to build a platform that is rigorously curated but still feels informal. It’s about maintaining quality while creating a relaxed, approachable atmosphere,” Pozzoni echoed.
Too often, Sironi said, the art fair system can feel intimidating—one needs an invitation, one needs to be a VIP, otherwise one doesn’t feel like part of what’s happening. “That can discourage people who might otherwise be interested in art, making it feel closed off rather than accessible. We need to expand the boundaries of the contemporary art system, because we need more people investing in art and supporting galleries and artists, not just emerging ones.”
Originating as a nomadic yet context-specific curatorial project aimed at revitalizing often-abandoned sites of industrial or architectural heritage through direct dialogue with their historical and social context, MEGA this year found a particularly fitting location: SPAZIO PROFUMO, a former perfume factory on Via Binda 29 in the lively Navigli district, one of the epicenters of Design Week. Unfolding across the two wings of the factory, the fair’s main section presents a diverse range of presentations by both Italian and international dealers, with an emphasis on research-driven, experimental and emerging artistic practices. Galleries pay to participate, but the structure has been deliberately designed to reduce pressure: costs are kept relatively low, with installation and photography included. Galleries simply send the works while the fair handles the rest.
The 31 exhibitors are presenting works in dedicated rooms or in shared spaces hosting curated dialogues. Each is given the space and rhythm it requires. “One of the first things collectors tell us when they come here is that everything feels more relaxed,” Pozzoni noted. One can look at the works without the usual pressure: there are no rigid booth structures, and the experience feels more natural and open, and less forced. This year, for the first time, MEGA Art Fair also introduced dedicated spaces of around 20 square meters for approximately €4,000, including installation.
MEGA’s main section offers a particularly valuable opportunity for international visitors to discover Italy’s galleries and emerging artistic voices. Newcomer Anni Wu presented a dialogue between the hybrid biomorphic corten steel sculptures of Nicola Ghirardelli and the hallucinatory, Bosch-inspired compositions of Andrea Luzi, complemented by the layered “emotive memories” embodied in Francesco Ardini’s ceramics, juxtaposing organic and inorganic scales and macro and microscopic, imaginative and geological worlds.
London-based Copperfield tested its collaboration with Mexico City’s Third Born ahead of CONDO CDMX and then extended it at MEGA alongside Milan-based Altai—a gallery specializing in nomadic rugs—to present a group of contemporary artists from across geographies, including Kristian Kragelund, David Rickard, Ty Locke, Roberto Barbosa and Frédéric Lucien, in dialogue with ancient textiles.
Nearby, a relatively new project by Neri Pagnan—formerly of The Pool in New York—presented the sculptures of Italian artist Margherita Pedrotta, in which organic materials, such as Valentine’s Day flowers, are covered and crystallized through layers of ceramic plaster and resin. As
In a shared meditation on memory and embodiment, the gallery paired Pedrotta with the black-and-white photographs of Chinese artist Mengfan Wang, produced using the “film soup” technique—vodka and lemon corroding the emulsion to evoke the fragility of memory. Also in the space were Jacopo Martinotti’s photographs taken at the Civic Planetarium Ulrico Hoepli in Milan, where the insertion of the human figure causes the architecture to reorient around it, reflecting on humanity’s position within a larger cosmic order. All works in the presentation are priced under €3,500, and one of Pedrotta’s works was acquired by the Taurisano Collection through the Because of Many Suns prize.
What was perhaps even more interesting was the fair’s decision to incorporate major Italian collections and private foundations, presenting them within a curated section in the main building titled “City of Glass.” Drawing on Paul Auster’s novel, the section interpreted the city as a layered system of relationships, identities and narratives, bridging private and public sectors and commercial and institutional frameworks, while bringing collectors and patrons to the forefront. “This is almost the most radical decision we made,” Pozzoni explained. Instead of giving the largest spaces to galleries, the fair invited art collectors to present works from their holdings. “The idea is to shift the role of the collector—from the final point in the market to a more active, visible position at the front.”
Participating entities included Collezione Maramotti, Fondazione Giuseppe Iannaccone, Collezione de Iorio, Progetto Ludovico, Spazio Almag / Umberta Gnutti Beretta Collection, Fondazione Elpis, Fondazione Imago Mundi, Casa Aemilia and Collezione Galotti, many of whom also contributed to the talks program. “We’re working with collectors whose collections already function as forms of patronage. They are trendsetters,” Pozzoni added.
In line with its mission at the intersection of geopolitics and art, Treviso-based Fondazione Imago Mundi presented two new works by Palestinian activist street artist Laila Ajjawi. Trento- and Verona-based Collezione De Iorio spotlighted Amanda Ba with a striking painting that echoes a Deposition of Christ reimagined through the lens of the Asian diasporic experience in the U.S.
The presentation also looped in adjacent creative industries, connecting with fashion through a collaboration with CNMI Fashion Trust, offering emerging designers visibility within an international ecosystem where fashion and art intersect organically. Curated by Sara Sozzani Maino, creative director of Fondazione Sozzani, the presentation brought together four independent Italian brands: Florania, Lorenzo Seghezzi, Marcello Pipitone and Pecoranera, each offering a distinct interpretation of the city through fashion.
In this and other ways, MEGA is clearly very different from a conventional fair. “We’re not competing with other fairs; we’re offering something else entirely,” Sironi said. “What we try to offer both galleries and the public is a broader, multilayered platform,” of which the public program has become a key component. In the first five days, the fair hosted 38 events, with programming continuing throughout its 10-day run.
That programming extended beyond traditional panels and video sections to include workshops, dinners and DJ sets. Each evening, MEGA Art Fair has hosted a Supper Club for 40 guests, organized by 926dot1, with menus conceived as compositions and ingredients treated like notes of a perfume, creating a sensory experience that expands the fair into the realms of taste, social interaction and conviviality.
As fairgoers themselves, Sironi noted that it is often difficult to pause, eat well or genuinely connect during busy art weeks. “We wanted to create a setting where networking happens naturally, in a more relaxed and human way. We want people to spend time here, to come back, to engage beyond a quick visit.” Even the food offerings—ranging from sushi to Venezuelan arepas and Italian and European cuisine—were conceived as part of the overall experience.
MEGA also has a book and magazine corner where visitors can browse independent publications from across geographies alongside established publishers such as SKIRA and Mousse. When Observer visited the fair in the evening after touring Miart, not all the fair’s exhibitors were present, but QR codes and robust labeling provided visitors with information and contacts. Through its partnership with First Thursday, MEGA has created online viewing rooms where visitors can revisit presentations. Many have prices openly displayed. The art fair has also created a support system for galleries, with on-site staff available to represent presenters and engage visitors. “Galleries don’t need to be here all the time,” Pozzoni said, noting how this attentive, hands-on approach defines the experience for both fairgoers and exhibitors.
In the evenings, visitors don’t need to rush off to another satellite fair or opening, and the vibe becomes even more relaxed, allowing for longer conversations with exhibitors and artists. Sometimes these conversations end with a shared moment on the dance floor. “Ultimately, we want to create a sense of community where galleries feel supported and engaged,” Pozzoni reflected. “Of course, we are still an art fair and sales matter, but we are also trying to build a different kind of connection between galleries and audiences.”
He acknowledged that each edition serves as a testing ground, revealing what works and what requires refinement, with early ideas for the next iteration already in motion. While improvements are always considered across multiple facets, enhancing the buyer experience—particularly facilitating smoother transitions from engagement to acquisition—remains a key focus.
Over time, the fair has embraced an implicit motto—”Let’s make every year more MEGA!”—not in the sense of becoming bigger, but of becoming more: more layered, more inclusive and with more opportunities for connection. “The fair ends on Saturday, but by Monday we’re already back to reflecting and planning for the next edition,” Pozzoni concluded.
