Butterfly Effect. Art & Design for Gaza

From Tuesday, April 21st to Sunday, April 26th, 2026, as part of Milan Design Week, the Grandi Sogni curatorial project takes shape in the spaces of the New Brera Campus at Scalo Farini
with the exhibition Butterfly Effect. Art & Design for Gaza, curated by Fabio Iannotta and Yasmine Aljarba.

"The trail of the butterfly cannot be seen,
the trail of the butterfly does not vanish..."
Mahmoud Darwish, Butterfly Effect (Athar al-farasha), 2008

Butterfly Effect. Art & Design for Gaza addresses, on both a symbolic and practical level, the themes of survival, daily life, and the preservation of memory in the context of the contemporary conflict in Palestine, and particularly in Gaza. At the heart of the investigation are the role and meaning of objects, a juncture through which to interrogate the relationships between art, design, and everyday practices in times of crisis.

The narrative approach rejects ideological opposition or conflicting positions: art and design become spaces for storytelling and intimate reflection, in which works, objects, small gestures, and everyday traces contribute to the construction of a personal dimension attentive to the condition, expression, and testimony of the Palestinian people. The exhibition space presents itself as a place where visitors come into contact with the corporeal dimension of daily life in a human context in difficulty. Art, design, and poetry are presented as spaces of resistance and resilience—sparks of rebirth that underscore the possibility, even for small material and immaterial things, to change the world and leave an indelible mark, celebrating life despite the awareness of pain.

The title recalls the poem "Butterfly Effect" (Arabic: Athar al-farasha) by Mahmoud Darwish, published in 2008 shortly before the poet's death: the last work of poetic prose and verse by the great Palestinian poet, whose meaning and spirit the exhibition shares.

The exhibition brings together twelve works conceived and produced by nineteen students in the two-year Product Design program at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, developing them based on the themes outlined in the New Materials Technologies course. The students' works are displayed alongside works by eleven artists from Gaza who live abroad. The exhibition comprises physical objects, images, and multimedia works.

Yasmine Aljarba (Gaza, 1989) is a Palestinian visual artist, curator, and researcher whose work combines painting, conceptual photography, and video art; she has lived and worked in Milan since 2023. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions in Gaza, Rome, Milan, Venice, and Bergamo. Her work explores memory, roots, identity, and uprootedness, documenting the Palestinian experience inside and outside Gaza and investigating the presence and absence of the body and the land.

Fabio Iannotta (Naples, 1974) is an architect and engineer. Full Professor of Design Methodology and Director of the School of Artistic Design for Business. He lives and works
between Naples, Rome, and Milan.

Grandi Sogni is an international research, artistic production, and design project dedicated to the visual cultures and contemporary materials of Palestine. Scientific Committee: Andrea Zanella,
Marco Negroni, Fabio Iannotta, Lucrezia Cippitelli, Rosanna Ruscio, and Domenico Scudero. The project is promoted by the Brera Academy of Fine Arts as part of JERUS-IT-ARTS,
funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Mission 4 Component 1 CUP Investment E33C24000160006 3.4). A multidisciplinary program spread across several Milanese institutions—exhibitions, lectures, performances, screenings, and interventions in public spaces. At its core is the memory of Palestine and its communities. In collaboration with BASE Milano, Zona K, and Casa degli Artisti.

Art & Design for Gaza
curated by Fabio Iannotta and Yasmine Aljarba
April 21 – 26, 2026
New Brera Campus – Scalo Farini
Via Valtellina 7, Milan

Milan Design Week 2026
Opening April 21, 3:00 PM
Exhibition Hours
Tuesday 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM