The new Airbnb Experience with Gemello An unforgettable evening in Milan focused on art and community
If once luxury was synonymous with possession, today it has become a matter of access. It’s no longer about accumulating objects, but about living experiences that hold symbolic, emotional, and relational value. The new status symbol is not what you own, but how you choose to live your time. In this context, luxury increasingly coincides with the ability to slow down, carve out a moment of authenticity, and immerse oneself in something unfiltered or unmanufactured. The so-called “era of experientialism” is not just a market trend but a cultural paradigm shift, tangible in fashion, sports, and even in hospitality. People no longer want to be mere spectators; they want to be part of the story, to touch, create, and engage with what they love.
It’s a desire that transcends generations and manifests across a wide range of sectors, all moving toward an idea of participatory luxury. This is why brands—from fashion houses to hospitality giants—are shifting their focus from producing objects to the creation of immersive experiences: unique, tailor-made moments designed to leave a mark on memory rather than on a storefront.
Proof of this shift came with Airbnb’s latest activation, which, with the help of one of the leading figures in contemporary art, launched the project “Canvas & Sound: A Collaborative Art Experience with Gemello.” Blending artistic performance with human connection, the experience brought a small group of participants into the creative heart of Milan to experience art not as spectators but as co-authors. The event took place in a design apartment in the Bicocca area, transformed for the occasion into a temporary atelier. Around a large table, six people gathered to share a few hours of creative freedom under the guidance of Gemello, the visual and musical artist from TruceKlan.
Each participant added a fragment of themselves to the shared canvas, which was ultimately divided into six parts: a simple yet powerful gesture symbolizing the uniqueness of that shared experience. As Gemello explained, “When I paint and when I write music, the process is always intuitive and experimental. With this experience, I wanted to give guests the opportunity to step into my world, get their hands dirty with paint, and feel part of a work that will forever be tied to that moment.”
This initiative joins the other Airbnb Originals, the global collection of extraordinary experiences designed exclusively for the platform and led by some of the most inspiring figures in art, music, sports, and contemporary culture. From dance sessions with international performers to creative workshops in artists’ studios and meetings with Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the Originals open doors to usually inaccessible worlds, giving guests the chance to live unique and authentic moments. More than an event, it was a micro-luxury experience in the most contemporary sense of the term: exclusive yet accessible, curated yet spontaneous, built around people rather than to impress them. A small example of how luxury today has evolved into a search for meaning and connection, where true opulence lies not in owning something but in truly living it.
