The Discipline of Vision
The turn of the year has a habit of sharpening our attention. Between what has already taken shape and what still exists only as an idea, there is a brief, productive pause. It is a moment when ambition, imagination and resolve coexist. If there is a thread running quietly through this New Year edition, it is not spectacle, but vision, and what happens when people choose to act on it.

On the cover of this issue is David Montalto. At first glance, his portrait hints at the archetype of the eccentric inventor, intense and slightly otherworldly. His conversation, however, tells a different story: one of patience, discipline and an unwavering commitment to a vision first encountered decades ago. Whether read spiritually, philosophically or simply as a testament to belief sustained over time, what stands out is the refusal to rush. In Montalto’s world, ideas are not fleeting. They demand craft, structure and endurance.

That same seriousness underpins Gagosian’s winter exhibition; "The Omnipotence of Dreams". The title may suggest Surrealist abandon, yet the exhibition itself is precise and measured. Dreams here function less as escape than as a way of seeing differently, expressed through painting, sculpture and jewellery that is intimate, wearable and sometimes disconcerting. Imagination, in this context, is not decorative; it is a working method.

Closer to home, the Gstaad House project reflects a similar mindset. Long before drawings or permits, it began as a question: could Gstaad sustain a discreet, serious platform for art storage, exchange and dialogue, without turning culture into performance? As the project advances, its strength lies in exactly that restraint. Vision here is architectural and cultural, conceived as a platform for exchange rather than spectacle.

Music, too, thrives on this kind of clarity. As the Gstaad New Year Music Festival marks its 20th anniversary, Caroline Murat’s approach remains unchanged. The intimacy is intentional: singers see their audience, audiences hear voices unfiltered by scale or distance. It is a deliberate narrowing of space that creates intensity, connection and trust, and has done so for two decades.

Dreams, when treated seriously, are not vague or fragile. They are demanding, structured and often slow to reveal their full shape. They ask for commitment long before certainty appears.

As we step into a new year, that feels like a fitting note. Not every vision needs to be loud. But the ones that endure tend to be carried quietly, patiently, and with conviction.

Jeanette Wichmann
Editor in Chief