Geometry of Milano

Mar 5

In January of this year, my husband and I travelled to Milan, Italy. I previously resided 40 minutes west in a small city called Novara, and I wanted to visit a dear friend who is also an artist, illustrator and designer. I also had the opportunity to meet another artist who lives in Geneva, Switzerland. We met on Instagram and have since had two shows together in Basel.

You may wonder why we chose to travel to Italy in the winter, rather than in the summer as most people do. For me, the winter is magical and provides an opportunity to experience things that I would not necessarily have in the summer.

Upon returning home, I was completely inspired by the beauty, art and architecture of Milan. I invite you to see the city through my eyes and appreciate the geometry of Milano.

Artists, writers and thinkers often view travel as a transformative journey that alters perception, fuels creativity and fosters self-discovery. Until my next trip, I leave you with a well-known Italian quote about travel:

“work fills your pockets,
ADVENTURES FILL YOUR SOUL.”

Allison Rietta

Allison Rietta is a Toronto-based abstract artist whose work explores mystic geometry as a language of energy, rhythm, and perception. She began her full-time artistic practice in 2020 following a 25-year career as a creative director in branding and marketing within the graphic design industry. Rietta holds an honours degree in Environmental and Industrial Design from the Ontario College of Art and Design, and furthered her studies through the Turps Painting School (2022–23).

Drawing on her spiritual practice of meditation and sound healing, Rietta’s work is informed by the resonant qualities of sacred sound and the symbolic structures of geometry found in nature and architecture. Through repetition, layering, and variation, her compositions translate vibration into visual form, where colour, shape, and pattern function as carriers of rhythm and inner experience. Her practice moves between precise, structured arrangements and more intuitive, atmospheric fields, reflecting a dialogue between control and fluidity, and between inner and outer perception.

Rietta has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across Toronto, New York, London (UK), and Basel (Switzerland). She has been twice longlisted for the Jackson’s Painting Prize (UK) and shortlisted for the Visual Art Open International Emerging Artist Award. Her work is held in private and public collections, including a major acquisition by the Holbrook Danville boutique hotel in the United States. Her work has also been featured in CasaFacile, one of Italy’s leading interior design publications.

https://www.allisonrietta.com

Geometry of Milano

“work fills your pockets,

ADVENTURES FILL YOUR SOUL.”

Two Paintings Selected for Extended Longlist