Casa Azul and Spazio L'Ove give up their venues in Gordola and Lugano

On 30 September 2026, within a few hours of each other, two independent cultural venues in Italian-speaking Switzerland announced the termination of their lease: Casa Azul, in Gordola, and Spazio L'Ove, in Lugano. In recent years, both places have had a significant impact on the region's cultural offering, giving a home to many people who work in the cultural sector.

The news did not come entirely as a surprise: the possibility that this could happen, for both Casa Azul and Spazio L'Ove, had been discussed for some time. Still, it is hard not to read it as confirmation of a trend that has been taking shape recently. In Ticino, independent culture is progressively losing spaces: places for gathering, production, creation, exchange and for the public to enjoy culture.

An already difficult context

This development comes against a backdrop that is already difficult for the sector. Rents, especially in cities, are becoming less and less affordable. Cultural professionals face a precariousness that has become chronic, job opportunities are shrinking, and more and more young people feel forced to leave the canton to look for opportunities in the cultural sector elsewhere.

Several festivals within the cantonal cultural scene have relied on these two venues to organise events, develop ideas and find opportunities for collaboration. They were sometimes supported by institutional partners and sponsors as well. In both spaces, professionals and artists also worked on a stable basis and carried out residencies.

The case raises a question for public authorities. The owners of the buildings, private individuals, exercised a choice that falls within their legitimate rights. It remains to be seen whether public authorities are interested in taking concrete action to protect culture and cultural work in this region, or whether such choices will keep repeating without any institutional response.