Sydney Restaurant Group and the Italian Cultural Institute are delighted to present Art & Dine, a three-part series celebrating the rich connection between Italian art, food and wine.
Each dinner in the series highlights a different Italian region, with carefully crafted menus and regional wines, accompanied by a unique artistic experience.
The first event will take place on Wednesday, 8 October at Ventuno Restaurant, Walsh Bay, dedicated to the flavours of Lombardy. Guests will enjoy a multi-course shared menu perfectly paired with regional wines, while award-winning Italian artist Matteo Bernasconi presents a selection of his striking contemporary works. His powerful paintings, inspired by the human condition, invite reflection on emotions, thoughts and ideas often overlooked in everyday life.
Matteo Bernasconi is an Italian-born, Sydney-based painter whose practice explores the human figure as a gateway to deeper emotional and existential truths. Originally trained as an architect, he shifted his focus to painting, blending structural precision with expressive intensity. Informed by philosophy and literature, his work navigates dualities—stillness and movement, serenity and tension—inviting viewers into contemplative spaces where identity, vulnerability, and memory converge.
Bernasconi has exhibited widely, with more than 30 exhibitions globally and recognition in over 20 major art prizes, including the Kilgour Prize, the Mosman Art Prize, and the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award. His practice extends beyond the studio as founder of Peach Black, a cultural hub in Sydney fostering dialogue across visual art, performance, and philosophy.
$145 per person includes a 4-course Lombardy-inspired shared menu with matching wines
For further info and to book: https://www.ventuno.com.au/art-and-dine