Avvessena

Avvassena (born 1998) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Milan whose contemporary practice explores human, social, and environmental relationships through a layered and deeply participatory visual language.

With a degree in Interior Design and Communication Design from the Polytechnic University of Milan, Avvassena has developed an artistic practice that intertwines design, visual art, and social engagement. Her multidisciplinary practice manifests itself through exhibitions, editorial projects, and collaborations with brands, companies, and nonprofit organizations, critically addressing issues of social justice and environmental sustainability. She currently teaches Contemporary Art at NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan), where she shares her artistic vision with new creative generations.

Artistic Research and Themes
Avvassena’s work stems from a profound interest in contemporary humanity and the complex relationships it forges: the often contradictory dialogue with oneself, the ambivalent connection with the world around us, the individual’s position suspended between interdependence and self-centered solitude, and the shared responsibility for the environment.

Her participatory art aims to go beyond the surface of society to bring to light hidden, silenced, or overlooked realities. Through active listening, discussion, and direct exchange with people, the artist collects stories and experiences that are transformed into works capable of mediating between the intimate and the universal.

Ubuntu Philosophy and Relational Art
Avvassena’s work is deeply influenced by the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which conceives the individual as an integral part of a larger whole composed of humanity and Nature. In this vision, identity is constructed through a dynamic and intersubjective process, never static or isolated. The artist translates this paradigm into contemporary art forms capable of generating awareness and authentic connections between individuals, communities, and the natural environment.

This philosophy took shape in the Ubuntu project, culminating in the solo exhibition Gregariousness (2024) at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan and the site-specific installation Ubuntu Gate at the Arsenali Repubblicani in Pisa.

Creative Process and Materials:
In Avvassena’s creative process, artistic materials play a central and active role. Each material carries with it signs, memories, and symbolic resonances that guide the evolution of the work. The interaction between matter, light, and space allows the hidden to emerge and the visible to transform, in a continuous process of mutation that characterizes her experimental artistic practice.

The artist frequently works with human X-rays, resin, plexiglass, and colored filters, creating luminous works that reveal the invisible anatomy of the body and its connections with other life forms. This constant tension between revelation and transformation leads the artist to explore different expressive languages, keeping her research constantly evolving and open to dialogue with the present.

Art as a Space for Transformation
Avvassena’s goal is to transform contemporary art into a place of encounter and reflection, a space capable of generating authentic dialogue between art, society, and the environment. Her works act as visual mediators, inviting viewers to reflect on their role within the community and our shared responsibility towards the planet.

Awards and Press
Avvassena’s work has been reviewed in major publications including Artribune, Corriere Milano, Exibart, Hestetika, Artuu, Luce, Suboart Magazine, and AllSheMakes Magazine. Among the awards she has received are the Doc Creativity Prize (2024, winner) and the Sormani Prize – Young Talents (2025).

Selected Exhibitions and Projects

2025
• Oceanic Humanity – Site-specific installation for One Ocean Foundation, Darsena, Milan
• The Gates South Beach – Group exhibition, Miami
• Geumgang Nature Art Biennale 2025 – Gongju, South Korea
• Sormani Prize – Young Talents

2024
• Gregariousness – Solo exhibition, curated by Alisia Viola, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan
• Ubuntu Gate – Installation, Arsenali Repubblicani, Pisa
• Bella Esperanza artistic residency – Tosamaganga, Tanzania
• Quadrus Light Gallery – Group exhibition
• Doc Creativity Prize – Winner

2023
• Siphonophorae. Ubuntu Capsule – Installation, Milan Design Week
• I am because we are – Installation, 48 Hours Neukölln, Berlin
• The Space Between Us – Habitat83, ArtVerona
• CICA Museum – Gimpo-si, South Korea

2022
• Sensitivity – Installation for the National Metastatic Breast Cancer Day, Policlinico di Milano
• Sensitivity – Installation, Milan Design Week
• Collaboration with Ford Italy – E-Transit Project
• P3 Generation – Group exhibition, Green Hill Gallery, Berlin
• Galleria Scoglio di Quarto – Group exhibition, Milan
• Tricalle Temple – Group exhibition, Chieti

2021
• Selbstwerdung: from Darkness to the Light of the Self – Installation, Castello Visconteo, Abbiategrasso
• Haze Gallery – Group exhibition, Berlin