From fine art prints of Buddhist monks to teas, honeys and stationaries: a journey through Asia presented by owner and photographer Marco Beretta
Stamberga Milano, from a photography gallery to a concept gallery
Stamberga was first opened in 2014 as Marco Beretta’s photography gallery. Until 2022 it was based in the Porta Venezia area of Milan, facing a private courtyard. During the pandemic it switched location and moved to Via Gioacchino Rossini, 1. There, it turned into a deconstructed concept gallery in a street-facing building from the Twenties in the Milanese Quadrilatero del Silenzio – the so-called ‘Square of Silence’, a residential area in the city center.
«The concept of Stamberga lingers around the twenty-five years of travels and photos I took. Black and white, Buddhist monks’ photos are the core of my own photography works. It’s a statement to dedicate a gallery to such a product, and when I opened the space I found it difficult to circulate gelatin silver prints on baryta-coated paper of a single subject. Monks’ photos are not to be instinctively bought but need to be observed and emotionally understood» explains gallery owner Beretta. «This is why I then integrated the core photography gallery with other product categories starting from magazines and books».
The concept of the space was further developed during the pandemic years, when Beretta decided to move the gallery in the area of the Quadrilatero del Silenzio, believing such a hidden place requires to remain far from the eyes of the ‘mainstream’. Six months after the opening of the new gallery, the concept is now crystalizing and seeing the formation of a network of visitors, also still attracting long-term customers.
Stamberga’s selection bridging Milan to Asian culture
Beretta’s inspiration comes from Asian culture due to his journeys and long-term stays in Japan, India, Taiwan, and China among other places. Stamberga is also a tea store and has its own trademark, namely Auberge Thé Bleu.
«Those stopping by to observe the monks’ photos must have a certain degree of sensitivity and be akin to the aesthetics and products I propose in the gallery. The stationary, for example. Taking the cue from my corporate background I’ve grown a passion for what I call here ‘inspired stationary’. I’ve been collecting Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese brands proving to have a solid concept behind their products. Stamberga is an always-evolving gallery where I do the research myself for the products selection».
From fine art prints to stationary, from teas to mugs, teapots and honey, Stamberga selection also offers soaps, fragrances and candles mainly from Asia. All these in a journey for the customers, who can also listen to the playlists that set the mood for a full experience.
A highlight from Stamberga’s collection are Frama fragrances. Frama is Copenhagen-based multidisciplinary design brand creating lifestyle objects. From Soil to Form, a diffuser for essential oils featuring nine charcoal and clay balls handmade in Seoul, Korea, is worth a mention.
Auberge Thé Bleu: teas and honeys traded by Beretta’s own trademark
Auberge Thé Bleu is Beretta’s trademark which has a dedicated corner inside Stamberga. Importing forty varieties of tea from China and wider Asia, Beretta proposes a selection which integrates his customers’ journey throughout the space of the gallery.
Moreover, Auberge Thé Bleu also proposes a selection of honeys sourced and made in Italy by Apicoltura dell’Orto – a family-run business in Besana Brianza that has been producing organic honey harvested on fields not treated with pesticides or on wild plants far from sources of pollution for more than forty years.
Stamberga on being a concept gallery among concept stores
«Stamberga was born as a gallery. I’ve never liked the popularity that the term concept store has gained nowadays, which is why I don’t define Stamberga as a concept store. Before exhibiting a product in my gallery I need to have studied it in detail. I want to know the people behind it and find a coherence with the wider selection. Stamberga attracts people with an international and artsy background, who are used to travel both for work and pleasure. Given this as a target persona, there’s not much need to explain the concept behind the nature of a concept gallery. My clients all have an aesthetic taste, which can be similar or different from mine but have experienced comparable places in Berlin, Istanbul, or New York».
At the crossroads of multiculturality, Stamberga pursues a vision of what a concept store should be while turning it into a concept gallery. Beretta asserts: «Thought-through details create coherence. A concept store without coherence doesn’t survive long. The word ‘concept’ is nowadays abused. It is true only when there’s a thought and a precise vision behind the project, when there is a common idea keeping all details together and nothing is there randomly».
The educational side of Stamberga: communicating different products
«Stamberga is also educational. When I lead my customers in the journey I create for them, telling them of the story behind each object, I tend to highlight the craftsmanship within it. This educational side is at the core of the communication of Stamberga on social media. Communicating the photography gallery, but also teas and honeys requires diversity in the channels and formats chosen. Those customers coming back to Stamberga need to understand the story behind each item. And the digital communication can help circulating more information and engagement before and after their visit.I have a person that is solely working on the copy for social media texts as I care about etymologies, research, and education to details».
Stamberga
Stamberga is a concept gallery devoted to photography, art, books and mags, stationary, design, tea, and honey. Now located in Via Gioacchino Rossini 1 in Milan, Italy, it was born as a photography gallery in a private courtyard.
Ilaria Sponda
