A 13th-century Gothic church in Venice's Cannaregio district, the former Chiesa dell'Abbazia della Misericordia, will reopen on May 5, 2026, as Etnia House of Arts. The project is promoted by Spanish eyewear brand Etnia Eyewear Culture and includes artist residencies, public events, and site-specific interventions. The restoration was led by architects Piero Vespignani and Alessia Semenzato of Studio Anfibio. The first two resident artists are Conxi Sane and Greta Pllana, who will explore themes of perception and vision, with the residency program using eyewear as a symbolic field to investigate identity and representation.
This initiative matters because it transforms a historic religious and welfare space into a porous cultural platform where art is produced in real time rather than merely exhibited. By opening during the Venice Biennale, Etnia House of Arts positions itself within a global cultural dialogue while maintaining an independent perspective. The project reflects a broader trend of brands moving beyond product sponsorship to actively supporting creative production, and it redefines the role of historical architecture in contemporary art ecosystems.